THERE  can  be  no 
nope  of  progress  or 
freedom  for    tKe 
people  without  the  un 
restricted  and  complete 
enjoyment  of  tKe  rignt 
of  free  speecK,  free  press 
and   peaceful  assembly. 


Gift  of 
IRA  B.  CROSS 


THINK    AND    ACT. 

* 


THINK   AND    ACT. 


A  SERIES   OF  ARTICLES 


PERTAINING 


MEN  AND  WOMEN,  WORK  AND  WAG  US. 


BY 


VIRGINIA   PENX'^ 


1 


PHILADELPHIA : 

CLAXTON,  REMSEN,  &  IT  VFFEf    INGKKV 

819  AND  821  MARKET  STiirj'r, 

1869. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  18G8,  by 
VIRGINIA  PENNY, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Northern  District  of  Kentucky. 


PREFACE, 


M  He  who  sneers  at  any  living  hope 
Or  aspiration  of  a  human  heart, 
Jg  just  so  many  steps  less  than  God." 

THE  bee  contributes  to  the  pleasure  of  the  natural 
palate  -=-  the  gardener  to  the  sustenance  of  the  phys 
ical  frame.  So  tlie  author  of  this  work  would  con 
tribute  to  the  pleasure  of  those  who  find  anything 
jrood  in  the  few  plain  reasons  set  forth  in  the  following 

O  A 

pages  for  the  views  cherished,  and  believed  to  be 
right.  If  what  is  said  be  the  means  of  making  plain 
the  path  of  duty,  or  assisting  any  one  in  the  cause 
to  which  it  is  devoted,  it  will  have  accomplished  its 
mission.  If  the  struggles  of  women  engaged  in  earn 
ing  an  honest  living  are  assisted,  it  will  bless  the 

heart  of  the  writer.     I  may  have  occupied  too  much 

i 
space  in  matters  of  a  didactic  nature.      If  so,  I  will 

claim  it  as  a  failing  leaning  to  virtue's  side.     Some 


0  PREFACE. 

may  think  there  is  more  bitter  than  sweet  in  the  store 
offered.  If  so,  I  hope  the  bitter  may  prove  beneficial. 
The  nature  and  substance  of  the  work  may,  to  some 
of  my  sex,  appear  very  dry ;  but  I  trust  it  may  not 
prove  so  to  all.  It  makes  no  pretension  to  anything 
more  than  it  is  —  a  few  sober  reflections  on  woman 
and  her  business  interests. 

VIRGINIA  PENNY. 

BOSTON,  November,  18C8. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

OBJECT  OF  THE  BOOK. 11 

ORIGIN  OF  OCCUPATIONS. 13 

DIVISION  OF  LABOR  —  ITS  ADVANTAGES  AND  DISADVANTAGES.  15 

OPENING  OF  NEW  EMPLOYMENTS  TO  WOMEN.          ...  19 

NECESSITY,  TO  WOMEN,  OF  MORE  EMPLOYMENTS.        .         .  23 

MACHINERY  —  ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS 32 

WORK  ASSOCIATIONS  AND  CO-OPERATIVE  SOCIETIES.  .         .  37 

CIRCUMSTANCES  THAT  INFLUENCE  WAGES  AND  LABOR.  .         .  42 

SKILLFUL  LABOR. 46 

OCCUPATIONS  SUITED  TO  TASTES,  HABITS,  AND  CAPACITIES.      .  50 

EFFECTS  OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  HEALTH 55 

EFFECTS  OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  THE  BODY,  MIND,  AND  MORALS.  63 
INFLUENCE  OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  THE  DOMESTIC,  SOCIAL,  AND 

RELIGIOUS  NATURE 66 

PECULIARITIES  OF  EMPLOYMENTS. 69 

SELECTION  OF  AN  OCCUPATION 74 

BUSINESS  QUALIFICATIONS 78 

WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  JUSTLY  COMPENSATED  —  AND  WHY.       .  82 

BAD  RESULTS  OF  INSUFFICIENT  WAGES 96 

(7) 


8  CONTENTS. 

4» 

IT   REQUIRES    AS    MUCH    TO     SUPPORT   A   WOMAN   AS    A   MAN.      .  101 

WOMEN  REQUIRED  TO  LABOR  TOO  LONG.      ....  104 
OCCUPATIONS  or  MEN  AND  WOMEN.         .         .         .         .         ,108 

INCREASED  NUMBER  OF  SINGLE  WOMEN 109 

MORE  POOR  WOMEN  THAN  MEN.      ,         ,         f         .         .         .114 

ADVANTAGE  OF  AN  OCCUPATION. 118 

WORDS  TO  THOSE  ENGAGED  IN  PURSUITS 122 

CONDITION  OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES.       .         .        .         .  128 

DRESS  OF  WORK-PEOPLE.          .......  139 

CHILDREN  OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES.         ....  141 

NATURAL  TO  BE  EMPLOYED.      .         , 146 

WORK  HONORABLE.       .,,.,.,.  148 

REFORM 150 

WOMEN  SHOULD  BE  USEFUL  AS  WELL  AS  ORNAMENTAL.     .  15G 

ACHIEVEMENTS  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES 157 

FEMALE  INVENTORS 158 

WOMEN  NEED  TO  EXERT  THEMSELVES.                        .         »  1C1 

DEPENDENT  WOMEN 1G3 

WOMEN'S  RIGHTS  AND  WRONGS 105 

BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  LAWS  UNJUST  TO  WOMEN.      .        .         .  168 

SUFFRAGE  OF  WOMEN 174 

PROGRESS 179 

OPPOSITION 185 

PROGRESS  RETARDED  BY  WOMEN 190 

INJUSTICE  OF  WOMEN  PARTLY  ACCOUNTED  FOR.      .        .        •  193 

PREPARATION  FOR  USEFULNESS 198 

OPPORTUNITIES  OF  DOING  GOOD 

LADIES'  BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS 208 


CONTENTS.  9 

HOUSES  OF  REFUGE  AND  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOLS.       .         .        .211 

BOARDING-HOUSES  FOR  WORKWOMEN.           ....  214 

LADIES'  EMPLOYMENT  AGENCY 217 

SECRET  SOCIETIES.        .  

WOMEN  WITHOUT  A  HOME.       .......  222 

WOMEN  IN  DIFFERENT  STAGES  OF  SOCIETY.        .         .         .  224 

MODERN  SOCIETY. 225 

GlRLS  RAISED  WITH  THE  EXPECTATION  OF  MARRYING.        .  230 

^ 

FRIVOLITIES  OF  THE  YOUNG.    .......  23G 

REMARKS  TO  PARENTS. 238 

THOUGHTS  FOR  FATHERS 244 

SUGGESTIONS  TO  MOTHERS 246 

ADVICE  TO  BROTHERS 251 

WORDS  TO  YOUNG  LADIES.      .......  253 

THE  FORMATION  OF  HABITS  AND  CHARACTER.    .         .         .  258 

CONNECTION  OF  EDUCATION  WITH  HOME  DUTIES.  .         .         .  262 

WOMEN'S  WANT  OF  INCENTIVE  TO  STUDY  AND  ACTION.     .  264 

UNMARRIED  WOMEN  AND  WIDOWS.           .....  2(57 

NEVER  TOO  OLD  TO  LEARN. 270 

WOMEN  CAPABLE  OF  ATTAINING  TO  EXCELLENCY.    .         .         .  271 

ADVICE  TO  READERS  OF  THIS  BOOK.   .....  275 

VARIETY  OF  OCCUPATIONS  DESIRABLE 277 

PIONEERS 280 

EMPLOYMENT    OF  WOMEN    DOES    NOT   EXCUSE   IDLENESS  OF 

MEN 285 

WOMEN  SHOULD  NOT  TAKE  MEN'S  EMPLOYMENTS.       .         .  287 

THE  RESULT  OF  SUCH  APPROPRIATION 288 

PROVINCE  OF  WOMEN 292 


10 


CONTENTS. 


NEITHER  DKUDGERY  NOR  IDLENESS  ......     296 

CREEDS  OF  SOME  MARRIED  WOMEN  .....  297 

ADVANTAGES  OF  WOMEN  MORALLY.  >  208 

MENTAL    AND    MORAL    GROWTH    or  WOMEN.     .         .         .         302 

A  COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND  WOMEN  ......     306 

WANT  OF  DEFINITENESS*      •         •         »         .         »  313 

WHAT  A  WOMAN  SHOULD  BE.  .....         ,317 

POOR  HEALTH  OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN.          ....         321 

PECUNIARY,    PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND    SOCIAL    ADVAN 

TAGES  OF  MEN  ........  327 

WHAT  A  MAN  SHOULD  BE  .......  332 

MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SEXES.  »         „         „  335 

AMERICAN  CHARACTERISTICS.    .......     343 

LABOR  OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN 
AMERICAN  WIVES.     .. 
CHANGES  OF  FORTUNE. 
VALUE  or  EMPLOYMENT 
ALL  MADE  TO  WORK. 
RECREATION.       .         . 


.         »  ...... 


WORK  APARTMENTS  OF  MEN  AND  WOMEN. 

>>*'  ^V 

TEMPTATIONS.    .         .         .         .         .         .         . 


REFORM  OF  FEMALE  CONVICTS. 
PREVENTIVES  OF 


346 
349 
352 
354 
356 
359 
SCO 
363 


-*  .    •-  -,   .      ouo 

\   .         .          3$3^ 


369 


OBJECT  OF   THE   BOOK. 

TUIE  subject  of  Woman  and  her  Work  is  beginning  to 
elicit  an  interest  from  most  noble  hearts,  both  of  our 
own  sex  and  the  braver.  The  subject  is  one  that  deserves 
the  consideration  of  the  public,  and  one  to  which  thinking 
minds  are  now  being  turned,  both  in  our  country  and  in 
Great  Britain.  To  me  it  has  seemed  strange  that  the  sub 
ject  of  women's  employments,  involving  as  it  does  the  wel 
fare  of  hundreds  of  thousands,  should  not  have  received  any 
particular  attention,  until  within  the  last  few  years.  So 
far  as  I  can  learn,  no  work  setting  forth  the  occupations 
in  which  women  may  engage  has  appeared  except  mine, 
entitled  "  The  Employments  of  Women."  A  vacuum  on 
that  subject  had  previously  existed  in  literature.  I  hear  of 
lectures  to  working  men,  and  now  and  then  meet  with  an 
essay  addressed  to  the  working  class ;  but  I  have  not  until 
recently  found  anything  intended  especially  for  working 
women,  except  a  few  small  pamphlets  issued  in  London, 
since  the  establishment  there,  in  1859,  of  a  "  Society  for 
Promoting  the  Employment  of  Women." 

Having  been  much  interested  for  a  few  years  in  matters 
pertaining  to  woman's  labor  and  compensation,  my  unem 
ployed  moments  have  been  pleasantly  devoted  to  writing 
out  thoughts  accumulated. 

There  is  need  for  a  more  systematic  and  harmonious 
organization  of  labor  in  our  land.  Women  suffer  from  the 
want  of  it  more  than  men.  Could  such  an  organization 
be  established,  numberless  women,  now  destitute  and  friend 
less,  would  be  benefited.  Besides,  the  interests  of  all  the 
higher  classes  of  women  would  be  promoted.  Many  women 

(11) 


12  OBJECT  OF  THE  BOOK. 

have  been  lost  to  society  by  the  want  of  constant  employ 
ment  at  fair  wages. 

We  have  many  books  telling  us  exactly  the  condition  of 
society,  and  the  need  of  specific  employment  for  unmar 
ried  women,  whereby  their  pecuniary  interest  and  happiness 
may  be  promoted,  but  how  to  select  and  engage  in  an  em 
ployment,  and  what  employments  are  open  to  women,  is  a 
subject  hitherto  neglected,  or  partially  set  forth,  now  and 
then,  in  the  transient  literature  of  the  day. 

I  wish  to  see  woman's  labor  properly  compensated,  and 
she  having  free  admittance  to  those  employments  for  which 
she  is  fitted.  I  long  to  see  the  condition  of  the  working 
woman  improved,  and  to  see  her  possessing  such  comforts 
and  refinements  as  her  station  will  admit.  But  to  enjoy 
these  privileges  she  must  be  trained  to  some  particular  field 
of  usefulness.  I  wish  to  see  girls  put  in  possession  of  the 
skill  and  knowledge  of  some  worthy  employment.  Then, 
when  alone  in  the  world,  they  can,  with  a  self-reliant  energy, 
devote  themselves  to  the  acquisition  of  a  regular  compensa 
tion,  and  lay  by  something  for  sickness  and  old  age. 

Many  and  varied  are  the  employments  of  men.  Their 
physical  strength,  and  more  daring  natures,  open  for  them 
hundreds  of  employments.  The  out-door  exercise  of  men, 
and  their  generally  good  health,  give  a  stronger,  more 
cheerful,  and  more  uniform  tone  to  their  spirits.  Scarcely 
a  work  of  creation  exists  that  man  has  not  explored  and 
investigated.  But  woman,  timid  and  reserved,  has  con 
fined  herself  to  the  few  beaten  tracks  of  labor  that  custom 
has  assigned  her.  But  now  the  barrier  is  being  broken 
down,  and  woman  is  entering  new  avenues  of  honorable 
employment.  Who  does  not  rejoice  that  it  is  so?  Many 
are  beautifully  adapted  to  woman's  nature,  and  will  serve 
to  render  her  more  useful  and  more  lovely.  Let  her  step 
in  and  occupy  them.  None  can  or  will  prevent  her.  If 
she  meets  with  scorn  and  jeers,  it  will  be  from  those  whose 
opinions  are  worth  nothing;  not  from  the  noble  and  the 
good. 


ORIGIN  OF  OCCUPATIONS* 


ORIGIN  OF  OCCUPATIONS. 

A  DIVISION  of  labor  in  trades  may  be  traced  to  the 
talents  and  tastes  of  individuals  in  the  early  com 
mencement  of  society.  In  those  days  men  would  exchange 
the  products  of  the  soil  for  food,  or  skins  for  clothing,  or 
such  rude  articles  of  furniture  as  each  succeeded  best  iu 
making.  This  was  inconvenient,  from  the  difficulty  of 
transportation  and  regulating  the  value  of  articles  of  ex 
change.  Then  a  circulating  medium  in  the  form  of  metal 
was  fixed  on  ;  but  the  difficulty  of  weighing  it  every  time 
a  trade  was  made  led  to  the  invention  and  establishment 
of  coin.  Then  it  became  necessary  there  should  be  a  body 
of  people  to  attend  to  the  exchange  of  articles,  as  it  would 
require  all  a  man's  time  when  there  was  much  to  do.  This 
brings  us  to  the  origin  of  traders  and  merchants.  In  con 
nection  with  this,  the  necessity  of  a  division  of  labor  arose, 
and,  following  close  after,  came  the  natural  sequence  of 
varied  employments.  The  utility  of  different  occupations 
can  not  for  a  moment  be  doubted  by  those  who  have  devoted 
any  thought  to  the  subject.  "All  occupations,"  says  Wade, 
u  however  apparently  unproductive  and  trifling,  are  valua 
ble,  if  they  increase  our  pleasures,  our  comforts,  and  well- 
being."  There  are  some  employments  that  can  be  carried 
on  only  in  large  cities.  Wants  increase  with  the  advance 
of  civilization,  and  consequently  originate  new  employ 
ments  to  satisfy  those  wants.  "It  is  a  fact  well  known 
that  the  vast  machinery  of  industry,  so  necessary  to  civili 
zation,  is  chiefly  set  in  motion  by  the  wants  of  man  to  sat 
isfy  his  appetite,  far  more  so  than  by  the  want  of  protect 
ing  his  body,  or  the  necessity  of  clothing  and  housing." 
We  copy  from  Dr.  Edrehi's  work  a  description  of  the 


11  ORIGIN   OF  OCCUPATIONS. 

fori£?n"of  Tccnpations  atfd  guilds,  as  derived  from  the  works 
bf  '  \von;  HOmmer  and  E^lia  :  "  Thus  we  find  that  Adam  was 
the  first  tailor,  builder,  and  sawyer,  and  took  his  hints  from 
swallows  and  bearers.  He  was  also  the  first  writing  mas 
ter.  Hawa  (Eve)  was  the  first  bathing  woman,  in  imita 
tion  of  the  ducks  and  geese  of  Eden.  Cain,  the  accursed* 
instructed  by  ravens,  was  the  first  grave-digge'r,  and  Abel 
the  first  shepherd.  Seth  was  the  first  button  maker  and 
\vool  stapler.  Enoch  was  the  first  weaver  and  scribe.  Noah 
was  the  first  shipwright.  Saleb  and  Hud  were  the  first 
camel-drivers  and  traders.  Abraham  was  the  first  barber 
and  milkman.  Ishmael  and  Isaac  were  the  first  hunter^ 
and  herdsmen*  Joseph  was  the  first  watch-maker ;  he  is 
also  represented  as  a  most  expert  carpenter.  Moses  was  a 
shepherd  and  cowman^  and  his  brother  Aaron  a  vizier,  or 
deputy.  Lot  invented  chronographs  and  chronology,  and 
Tip  Kepi  was  the  first  oven-builder,  though  Adam  has  the 
merit  of  having  been  the  first  baker  and  cook.  Daniel  was 
the  first  interpreter.  David  occupied  himself  in  forging 
coats  of  mail  and  helmets  ;  and  it  is  generally  believed 
throughout  the  East$  even  by  tribes  which  have  not  received 
the  tradition  from  Mohammedan  doctors j  that  the  psalmist 
•Was  a  blacksmith  and  farrier  by  trade.  Solomon  employed 
his  leisure  hours  in  basket-making.  Zachariah  was  a  pil 
grim  and  joiner.  Jeremiah  practiced  surgery.  Samuel 
was  a  soothsayer  and  astrologer.  Jonah  was  a  fishmonger, 
St.  John  was  a  sheik,  or  preacher.  Mohammed  was  a 
merchant.  Our  Savior  was  a  traveler.  Moslems  also 
believe  that  our  Savior  occupied  himself  in  making  wooden 
clogs  or  pattens." 


DIVISION  OF  LABOR.  15 


DIVISION  OF  LABOR— ITS  ADVANTAGES  AND 
DISADVANTAGES. 

IT  is  only  in  a  civilized,  or  enlightened,  state  of  society, 
that  regular  employments  are  performed  ;  and  as  soci 
ety  advances  in  wealth  and  power,  the  number  of  distinct 
employments  increases.  The  principle  is  permeating  every 
branch  of  art,  industry,  and  science.  In  the  homely  yet 
useful  trade  of  shoemaking,  some  employers  will  only  cut 
out  boots  and  shoes,  some  bind  them,  some  close  them,  some 
put  on  the  heels,  &c.  Among  tailors,  some  work-people 
only  cut  goods,  some  make  nothing  but  vests,  some  coats, 
and  others  pantaloons,  while  some  confine  themselves  to  the 
making  of  boys'  clothes. 

By  division  of  labor,  time  is  saved,  skill  and  fitness  in 
creased,  better  tools  and  machinery  contrived,  and  the  cost 
reduced.  It  brings  about  perfectness,  and  increases  strength 
of  the  particular  muscles  exercised.  It  simplifies  occupa 
tions,  and  requires  less  exertion  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of 
them.  It  suggests  ways  of  saving  time,  labor,  and  money. 
It  affords  opportunities  for  social  intercourse  and  intellec 
tual  pleasures.  It  gives  to  the  better  classes  of  workmen 
more  wealth.  By  it  greater  speed  is  obtained  also. 

In  art  many  advantages  are  gained  —  indeed,  it  is  essen 
tial  to  success  in  any  one.  The  more  minute  the  divisions 
and  subdivisions  of  occupations,  the  more  probability  is 
there  of  each  one  being  carried  to  a  state  of  perfection. 
Indeed,  it  requires  a  lifetime  to  attain  to  superiority  in  one 
branch  only.  In  painting,  who  could  expect  to  compass  all 
the  styles  of  landscape,  portrait,  and  historical?  In  engrav 
ings,  who  could  excel  in  the  various  branches  of  mezzotint, 
line,  stipple,  &c.? 


16  DIVISION  OF  LABOR. 

In  science  a  division  is  still  more  essential.  "As  society 
advances,  chemistry  becomes  a  distinct  science  from  natu 
ral  philosophy.  The  physical  astronomer  separates  himself 
from  the  astronomical  observer,  the  political  economist  from 
the  politician,  and  the  legislator  from  both.  Each,  confin 
ing  himself  to  his  peculiar  branch  of  science  or  business, 
attains  to  a  proficiency  and  expertness  therein  which  would 
be  hardly  possible  were  his  time  consumed  and  his  atten 
tion  diverted  by  a  greater  variety  of  pursuits." 

The  General  Post-office  has  been  cited  by  Dr.  Whately 
as  an  apt  illustration  of  the  division  of  labor.  If  each  indi 
vidual  had  his  own  letters  to  carry,  the  time  lost  and  the 
expense  incurred  would  be  enormous. 

In  "London  Labor  and  London  Poor"  we  read,  "Say 
furnishes  a  strong  example  of  the  effects  of  a  division  of 
labor,  from  a  not  very  important  branch  of  industry,  cer 
tainly  —  the  manufacture  of  playing-cards.  It  is  said  by 
those  engaged  in  the  business  that  each  card  —  that  is,  a 
piece  of  pasteboard  of  the  size  of  the  hand  —  before  being 
ready  for  sale,  does  not  undergo  fewer  than  seventy  opera 
tions,  every  one  of  which  might  be  the  occupation  of  a  dis 
tinct  class  of  workmen.  And  if  there  are  not  seventy 
classes  of  work-people  in  each  card  manufactory,  it  is  be 
cause  the  division  of  labor  is  not  carried  so  far  as  it  might 
be  ;  because  the  same  workman  is  charged  with  two,  three, 
or  four  distinct  operations.  The  influence  of  this  distribu 
tion  of  employment  is  immense.  I  have  seen  a  card  manu 
factory  where  thirty  men  produced  daily  fifteen  thousand 
five  hundred  cards,  being  above  five  hundred  cards  for  each 
laborer ;  and  it  may  be  presumed  if  each  of  these  work 
men  was  obliged  to  perform  all  the  operations  himself,  and 
supposing  him  a  practiced  hand,  he  would  not,  perhaps, 
complete  two  cards  in  a  day  ;  and  the  thirty  workmen,  in 
stead  of  fifteen  thousand  five  hundred  cards,  would  make 
only  sixty." 

The  greater  the  number  of  occupations,  the  wider  the 
field  for  activity  and  enterprise,  and  the  less  likelihood  is 
there  of  too  great  competition.  Americans  are  said  to  ex- 


DIVISION  OF  LABOR.  17 

pel  in  ingenuity  and  rapidity  of  execution,  but  tlio  English 
in  thoroughness,  arising  from  the  great  subdivision  of  labor 
in  England,  and  confining  the  instruction  of  an  individual 
to  one  branch  of  a  trade. 

"  In  the  domestic  system  of  manufacture,  the  work  is  too 
often  carried  on  in  ill-ventilated  rooms,  and,  until  the  last 
few  years,  there  was  no  restriction  to  the  age  of  the  young 
employed,  or  to  the  number  of  work-hours  per  flay." 

Said  Alexander  Hamilton,  "  It  is  a  just  observation,  that 
minds  of  the  strongest  and  most  active  powers  for  their 
proper  objects  fall  below  mediocrity,  and  labor  without 
effect,  if  confined  to  uncongenial  pursuits  ;  and  it  is  thence 
to  be  inferred  that  the  result  of  human  exertion  may  be 
eminently  increased  by  diversifying  its  objects,  When  all 
the  .different  kinds  of  industry  obtain  in  a  community,  each 
individual  can  find  his  proper  element,  and  call  into  activity 
the  whole  vigor  of  his  nature  ;  and  the  community  is  bene? 
fited  by  the  services  of  its  respective  members,  in  the  man 
ner  in  which  each  can  serve  it  with  most  effect.  To  cherish 
and  stimulate  the  activities  of  the  human  mind  by  multiply 
ing  the  objects  of  enterprise  is  not  among  the  least  consid^ 
erable  of  the  expedients  by  which  the  wealth  of  a  nation 
may  be  promoted.  Even  things  in  themselves  not  positively 
advantageous  sometimes  become  so  by  their  tendency  to 
promote  exertion.  Every  new  scene  which  is  opened  to 
the  busy  nature  of  man  to  rouse  and  exert  itself  is  the  ad 
dition  of  a  new  energy  to  the  general  stock  of  effort.  It 
is,  therefore,  to  the  interest  of  nations  to  diversify  the  indus 
trious  pursuits  of  the  individuals  who  compose  them." 

But  there  are  some  disadvantages  attending  a  minute 
division  of  labor.  It  limits  the  observation  and  dulls  the 
faculties.  Those  in  the  lower  departments  of  labor  suffer 
most  from  the  ill  effects.  Combe,  in  his  Moral  Philosophy, 
enters  more  particularly  into  the  results,  and  I  give  his 
words  :  "  It  rears  an  immense  number  of  industrious  men, 
who  are  utterly  ignorant,  except  of  the  minute  details  of 
their  own  small  department  of  art,  and  who  are  altogether 
useless  and  helpless,  except  combined  under  an  employer. 
2 


18  DIVISION  OF  LABOR. 

If  not  counteracted  in  its  effects  by  an  extensive  education, 
it  renders  the  workmen  incapable  of  properly  discharging 
their  duties  as  parents  or  members  of  society,  by  leaving 
them  ignorant  of  everything  except  their  narrow  depart 
ment  of  trade.  It  leaves  them  also  exposed,  by  ignorance, 
to  become  the  dupes  of  political  agitators  and  fanatics,  and 
renders  them  dependent  on  the  capitalist.  Trained  from 
infancy  to  a  minute  operation,  their  mental  faculties  neg 
lected,  and  destitute  of  capital,  their  labor  and  their  skill 
cannot  be  exercised  for  the  promotion  of  their  own  advan 
tages.  They  are,  therefore,  the  mere  implements  of  trade 
in  the  hands  of  men  of  more  enlarged  minds  and  more  ex 
tensive  property  ;  and  as  these  men  also  compete  keenly,  — 
talent  against  talent,  and  capital  against  capital,  —  each  of 
them  is  compelled  to  throw  back  a  part  of  the  burden  on 
the  artisans,  demanding  more  labor  and  giving  less  wages, 
to  enable  them  to  maintain  their  own  position." 


NEW  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN.  19 


OPENING  OF  NEW  EMPLOYMENTS   FOR 
WOMEN. 

SELFISHNESS  and  prejudice  have  closed,  and  kept 
^/3  closed,  many  of  the  employments  ia  which  women 
might  have  engaged.  They  have  been  monopolized  by 
men,  and  men  have  been  enabled  to  sustain  their  monopoly  by 
public  opinion.  But  they  have  suffered  from  the  results  of 
their  injustice  in  the  loss  of  health,  strength,  and  manliness. 

A  wider  scope  is  needed  for  the  employment  of  active, 
intelligent  females.  Even  some  of  the  few  branches  of 
industry  open  to  women  have  been  done  away,  within  the 
last  few  years,  by  the  invention  of  machinery.  The  gen 
eral  use  of  sewing  machines,  and  the  introduction  of  stencil 
plates  for  maps,  have  thrown  a  large  number  of  women  out 
of  employment.  The  mass  of  women,  in  moderate  cir 
cumstances,  seem  to  be  hedged  in  more  and  more  from  year 
to  year. 

Mrs.  Stephens  writes,  "  Look  at  the  employments  vouch 
safed  to  our  women.  How  few  they  are  ;  how  scanty  and 
how  worthless  !  That  which  no  man  will  touch  is  always 
good  enough  for  a  woman.  Look  at  their  pay  when  they 
labor  diligently  and  faithfully  all  their  lives  long,  poor  crea 
tures,  in  the  hope  of  saving  a  little  for  the  day  of  sorrow  ! 
And  these  employments  are  vouchsafed,  and  these  prices 
are  paid  by  men,  and  among  men  —  men  who  would  have 
the  women  of  their  country  believe  that  they  have  a  hearty 
desire  to  promote  the  welfare,  and  the  comfort,  and  the 
goodness  of  woman.  God  forgive  them." 

Says  the  author  of  "  Women  and  Work,"  "  We  hear 
cries  that  the  world  is  going  wrong  for  want  of  women  ; 
that  Moral  Progress  cannot  be  made  without  their  help  ; 


20  NEW  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN. 

that  Science  wants  the  light  of  their  delicate  perceptions ; 
that  Moral  Philosophy  wants  the  light  of  their  peculiar 
points  of  view  ;  Political  Economy  their  directness  of  judg 
ment  arid  sympathy  with  the  commonalty ;  Government 
the  help  of  their  power  of  organizing  ;  and  Philanthropy 
their  delicate  tact.  Hospitals  must  have  them,  asserts  one  ; 
Watches  must  be  made  by  them,  cries  another ;  Work 
houses,  Prisons,  Schools,  Reformatories,  Penitentiaries, 
Sanctoriums  are  going  to  rack  and  ruin  for  want  of  them  ; 
Medicine  needs  them ;  the  Church  calls  for  them ;  the  Arts 
and  Manufactures  invite  them," 

One  great  corresponding  cry  rises  from  a  suffering  mul? 
tjtude  of  women,  saying,  "  We  want  work,"  It  is  unjust 
to  say,  sneeringly,  if  women  wish  to  work,  why  do  they  not  ? 

Some  ex.cUim,  Q,  keep  woman  to  woman's  work !  We 
say  so  too,  as  far  as  it  is  practicable.  Is  there  not  enough 
work  in  the  United  States  to  keep  all  employed  that  are 
willing  to  labor,  and  wish  to  ?  We  dare  pot  say  there  is 
not  a  man  or  woman  that  wants  remunerative  employment 
but  what  can  obtain  it.  No ;  we  kup\v  it  is  not  so.  In 
our  large  cities  there  is  many  a  genteel  young  woman  that 
would  be  glad  to  obtain  employment  for  her  board  ;  and 
there  are  hundreds,  yes,  thousands,  of  women  thrpwn  upou 
their  own  resources  by  the  war  who  were  tenderly  reared, 
and  possessed  all  the  comforts,  and  even  luxuries,  of  life, 

''Blind,  indeed,  must  they  be  who  cannot  see  that  there 
is  a  pressing  from  the  ranks  of  domestic  service  as  wives 
and  servants ;  that  there-  is  another  current,  large  and 
strong,  for  which  a  way  must  be  opened.  If  it  is  not  done, 
it  will  force  itself  into  yarioiis  channels.  That  is,  in  fact, 
already  taking  place.  The  departments  of  wood-engraving, 
plaster  statuary,  watch-making,  &c.,  are  being  entered. 
Teachers,  shopkeepers,  and  factory  operatives  have,  for  a 
long  time,  receiyed  ftle  after  file  of  women  to  their  ranks. 
And  what  woman  would  force  them  back  when  it  is  that 
work,  starvation,  or  ruin-  ?  " 

The  opening  of  a  new  field  of  labor  in  one  country  to 
women  makes  easier  the  way  for  its  introduction  into  other 


NEW  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN.  21 

countries.  There  are  some  women  of  great  genius  and 
daring  courage,  who  tread  down  all  difficulties,  and  dash 
aside  all  opposition,  to  make  their  way  into  arid  through  an 
occupation  suitable,  but  hitherto  closed,  to  woman.  Agri 
cultural,  trading,  and  manufacturing  interests  have  received 
an  impetus  from  the  quick  and  vigorous  exercise  of  woman's 
talents. 

A  woman  should  be  able  to  acquire  a  standing  in  society 
by  honorable  exertion.  It  would  be  well  for  a  woman  to 
feel  that  she  has  the  whole  world  to  work  in.  If  she  has 
health,  and  is  properly  trained  for  a  pursuit,  she  can  some 
where  find  work  to  do  ;  for  a  large  portion  of  the  earth  is 
nothing  more  than  a  moral  chaos,  a  wilderness  of  business. 
But  women  ought  not  to  expect  to  occupy  important  places 
without  proper  training.  They  should  be  willing  to  pass 
through  a  series  of  gradations,  such  as  is  common  with 
men,  and  also  to  acquire  business  habits. 

To  enter  and  prosecute  new  branches  of  female  employ 
ment  will  awaken  latent  energy  and  talent,  and  do  away 
with  much  idleness  that  now  exists.  "They  who  are  al 
ways  so  willing  to  assist  others,  to  their  own  detriment, 
should  now,  in  turn,  —  for  their  wants  call  loudly  for  it, — 
be  assisted  aud  encouraged  to  strike  out  a  new  path  by 
which  they  could  assist  themselves.  There  must  be  a 
change  for  the  better  in  the  efforts  of  women.  Many  are 
degraded  by  their  poverty  ;  and  their  degradation  is  the 
cause  of  nearly  all  the  crime  that  is  committed." 

It  is  difficult  to  decide  what  occupations  are  most  suita 
ble  for  women  without  further  trial,  so  little  attention  has 
been  given  to  the  subject.  Schools  for  teaching  girls  some 
of  the  mechanic  arts  should  be  established  in  every  town 
and  city.  Is  not  the  Government  or  State  as  justifiable  in 
taxing  the  population  for  the  establishment  of  schools,  where 
the  industrial  arts  shall  be  taught,  as  the  branches  of  a  book 
education?  One  is  essential  to  the  existence;  the  other, 
though  desirable,  can  be  dispensed  with.  The  rising  gen 
eration  of  females  will  probably  have  more  advantages  in 
the  selection  and  prosecution  of  suitable  employments  than 
tho  present. 


22  NEW  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN. 

With  us,  in  the  United  States,  there  is  even  a  greater 
deficiency  in  the  variety  of  employments  than  with  the 
nations  of  Europe.  It  has  probably  arisen  from  the  greater 
demand  for  women  in  domestic  life,  and  the  lower  wages 
paid  for  men's  labor  in  Europe. 

We  have  been  told  that  there  are  about  four  times  as 
many  occupations  open  to  women  in  New  York  as  in  any 
other  city  of  the  country.  In  the  United  States,  pride  and 
prejudice  are  not  able  to  raise  as  great  barriers  as  in  older 
countries,  whose  foundations  were  laid  during  the  mediasval 
age.  Here,  rank  is  not  so  distinctly  denned  by  the  grades 
that  accident  makes.  Here,  the  hearts  of  the  higher  classes 
are  not  kept  so  within  the  bounds  of  their  own  choice 
circles,  but  run  through  the  ramifications  of  a  far-reaching 
humanity. 

If  a  woman  has  education,  health,  judgment,  some  knowl 
edge  of  human  nature,  and  a  small  capital,  she  might,  in 
favorable  times  for  business,  earn  a  livelihood  in  almost 
any  suitable  branch  she  selects.  She  certainly  can  when 
there  are  not  already  enough  engaged  in  it.  But  it  will  be 
necessary  for  success  that  she  give  her  time  and  undivided 
attention  to  her  business,  and  she  will  be  better  qualified, 
if  prepared  for  it  early  in  life. 

Perhaps  it  would  be  difficult  for  women  in  large  cities  to 
commence  in  those  branches  of  business  hitherto  unoccupied 
by  their  sex.  It  might  require  more  capital  than  in  smaller 
places.  Yet  so  many  changes  are  constantly  taking  place 
in  business  establishments,  in  some  cities,  that  a  woman 
might  enter  at  some  favorable  juncture.  In  the  western 
towns  that  are  springing  up  and  growing  so  rapidly,  women 
with  a  small  capital,  and  a  knowledge  of  business,  and  the 
wants  of  the  people,  could,  with  success,  enter  into  some 
paying  business. 

Mrs.  Jameson  mentions  a  reformatory  prison  she  visited 
in  Europe,  "  governed  chiefly  by  women  —  and  the  women, 
as  well  as  the  men,  who  directed  it,  were  responsible  only 
to  the  government."  "  There  are  offices,  either  entire,  or 
half-sinecures,  connected  with  our  government  affairs,  that 
are  well  suited  for  women." 


MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN.  23 


NECESSITY,   TO   WOMEN,   OF    MORE   EMPLOY 
MENTS. 

WOMEN  more  frequently  err  from  ignorance  of  their 
duties,  and  the  way  in  which  to  perform  them,  than 
from  any  inherent  evil.  I  believe  there  are  very  few  wo 
men  that  would  go  astray  if  honest  employments  were  pro 
vided  for  them  at  living  prices.  Much  of  the  degradation, 
madness,  and  suicide,  that  we  hear  of  among  women,  in 
the  humbler  walks  of  life,  arises  from  a  want  of  properly 
remunerated  labor  —  from  destitution  —  from  a  want  of 
sympathy  and  guidance  from  those  of  their  sex  in  the  higher 
walks  of  life  with  whom  they  have  to  do.  It  is  the  utter 
loneliness,  and  uncertainty  of  a  home,  from  day  to  day, 
that  drives  many  to  desperation. 

A  woman  is  apt  to  grow  selfish  with  no  one  but  herself 
to  think  of  —  to  grow  bitter  in  her  feelings  if  conscious  that 
she  is  unjustly  debarred  from  her  natural  sphere  of  action. 

A  man's  occupation  furnishes  him  with  a  source  of 
thought  and  activity ;  it  exercises  his  talents,  matures  his 
judgment,  cultivates  foresight ;  it  stimulates  to  the  acqui 
sition  of  knowledge  ;  it  prompts  to  an  efficient  use  of  his 
powers  and  property ;  it  promotes  health  and  enlivens  his 
spirits.  The  same  effect  would  be  produced  on  women  that 
would  devote  themselves  to  the  prosecution  of  some  intelli 
gent  pursuit. 

Educated  women  doomed  to  menial  labor,  (aside  from 
that  attending  every  one's  own  household,)  feel  that  society 
has  driven  them  to  a  position  they  were  not  made  to  occupy. 
And  so  the  moral  nature  suffers.  A  constant  sense  of  in 
justice  preys  upon  the  mind  ;  while  if  some  congenial  pur 
suit  were  offered  them  they  would  enter  it  with  eagerness, 


24  MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN. 

and  pursue  it  with  enthusiasm.  If  a  boy  belonging  to  a 
good  family  loses  his  father,  and  with  him  his  support,  or 
is  deprived  by  adverse  circumstances  of  an  expected  for 
tune,  much  sympathy  and  interest  are  elicited.  Friends 
unite  and  counsel  with  him,  and  aid  him  pecuniarily  while 
he  prepares  for  business.  How  different  is  it  with  girls  ! 
There  is  rarely  any  provision  made  for  the  future.  They, 
perhaps,  are  forced  into  some  trade,  already  filled,  that  must 
be  hurriedly,  and  therefore  indifferently,  learned,  or  must 
subsist  in  a  poor,  shabby  way,  in  an  indifferent  home,  op 
pressed  with  care  and  anxiety  for  those  of  their  family  sim 
ilarly  situated.*  Such  facts  are  proof  that  new  employ 
ments  must  be  entered  by  women.  The  condition  of  affairs 
in  all  civilized  countries  demands  it.  It  is  a  want  of  the 
times,  and  must  be  met.  If  not,  hundreds,  yea,  thousands, 
of  our  sex  sink  into  ruin.  The  condition  of  woman  can 
not  be  stationary.  It  must  either  advance  or  recede. 

The  precarious  subsistence  of  dependent  women  cannot 
but  excite  the  sympathy  and  interest  'of  philanthropists. 
Some  remedy  should  be  devised  to  furnish  them  with  more 
permanent  and  reliable  sources  of  support.  The  few  em 
ployments  hitherto  opened  to  women  are  crowded.  Some 
cannot  find  employment,  and  many  that  can,  eke  out  but 
a  scanty  subsistence.  Why  should  not  women  have  a  vari 
ety  of  occupations  as  well  as  men  ?  Why  should  they  not 
exercise  some  choice  in  the  selection  of  an  occupation  as 
well  as  men?  The  mind  now  vacant,  or  filled  with  idle 
fancies,  might  be  profitably  occupied  in  directing  all  its 
powers  to  the  acquisition  or  prosecution  of  some  useful 
employment.  The  industrial  energies  of  women  need  to 
be  turned  into  a  proper  channel  —  their  talents  profitably 

*  Many  clergymen  with  good  salaries,  and  having  congregations 
in  easy  circumstances,  are  either  ignorant  of,  or  afiect  ignorance  of, 
the  condition  of  poor,  hard-working,  and  of  destitute  educated  wo 
men.  And  when  they  are  convinced  of  existing  errors  in  society, 
they  talk  and  write  as  if  such  errors  could  not  be  remedied,  or  pro 
pose  some  visionary,  impracticable,  remedy.  (See  "  Woman'3 
J!ights,"  by  Rev.  John  Todd.) 


MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN.  25 

directed.  There  would  not  be  so  many  suicides  among  the 
poor  women  of  France  and  England  if  sufficient  employ 
ment,  at  living  rates,  was  offered  them.  The  opening  of 
new  employments  will  do  much  to  prevent  prostitution. 
The  low  wages  paid  females,  the  small  number  of  occupa 
tions  open  to  them,  and  the  excess  to  which  they  are  crowded, 
are  filling  our  prisons,  our  penitentiaries,  and  almshonses. 
"Who  will  not  try  to  save  one  soul  at  least?  It  will  be  a 
bright  star  in  the  crown  of  one's  rejoicing. 

It  is  necessary  for  women  to  have  some  definite  idea  of 
what  their  resources  may  be  —  to  what  branches  of  business 
they  may  fly  with  hope  of  success.  The  occupations  of 
men  have  formed  a  circle  ;  those  of  women  have  not  been 
even  the  segment  of  a  circle. 

We  need  a  more  systematic  arrangement  of  labor  for 
women.  In  every  city  and  large  town  there  should  be  a 
market  for  labor  just  as  there  is  a  market  for  anything  else. 
There  should  be,  in  the  diiFerent  callings  pursued  by  human 
beings,  enough  employment  for  women  suited  to  their  na 
tures  and  capacities.  There  should  also  be  employment 
enough  for  men  ;  but  some  in  which  they  now  engage  is 
beneath  their  dignity  as  men,  and  unworthy  their  strength. 
They  are  pursuits  that  should  be  in  the  hands  of  women. 
A  strong,  healthy  man  behind  the  counter  of  a  fancy  store, 
in  a  millinery  establishment,  on  his  knees  fitting  ladies' 
shoes,  at  hotels  laying  the  plates  and  napkins  of  a  dinner 
table,  is  as  much  out  of  place,  as  a  woman  chopping  wood, 
carrying  in  coal,  or  sweeping  the  streets. 

By  women  having  a, variety  of  employments    open   to 
them  they  could  command  better  prices  for  their  work  ;  for 
if  one  occupation  did  not  pay  they  could  learn  another  — 
one  that  did  pay.     We  think  a  state  of  affairs  would  be 
brought  about  different  from  that  in  France.     There  all  oc-  , 
cupations  are  open  to  women,  yet  their  wages  are  not  more 
than  half  as  high  as  men's.     That  is  the  result  of  a  custom  j 
already  established.     Affairs  might  be  differently  arranged 
in  a  democratic  government  of  the  present  time. 

Women,    in   their   ignorance  of  the  nature  of  different 


26      MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR  WOMEN. 

occupations,  aud  the  fear  of  being  ridiculed  or  rudely  treated, 
often  pass  by  those  best  suited  to  them,  and  engage  in  those 
altogether  unfit,  while  the  men  are  only  too  ready,  and  too 
willing,  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  entering  into  the  duties 
of  the  lighter,  and,  easier  occupations.  All  the  most  intelli 
gent  and  well-paid  occupations,  and  some  of  the  most  ener 
vating  and  ornamental,  are  engrossed  by  men,  while  the 
most  poorly  paid,  laborious,  and  disagreeable  work  is  done 
by  women.  Thousands  of  females  sacrifice  their  tastes, 
and  even  their  talents,  every  day  of  the  world,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  earning  an  honest  livelihood.  But  if  more  occupa 
tions  were  understood  by  women,  there  would  be  no  need 
of  such  sacrifice.  Any  person  who  opens  a  new  branch  of 
industry  to  women  confers  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  on 
the  inhabitants  of  a  large  city.  Let  women  step  forward 
into  new  fields  of  labor  as  a  matter  of  justice  to  themselves. 
'.,  American  women  should  prepare  themselves  for  the  higher 
\  departments  of  labor,  leaving  the  lower  to  foreigners,  who 
have  more  bodily  strength. 


Gail  Hamilton,  in  "  Woman's  Wrongs,"  says,  "  Why  don't 
those  wfomen,  who  are  starving  over  the  needle,  make 
fine  dresses  for  twenty  dollars,  instead  of  coarse  trousers 
for  twenty  cents?  "  (Rejoinder.  Why  don't  those  women 
live  in  clean,  well-furnished  houses,  provide  their  tables 
\vithwholesome  food,  and  dress  comfortably?)  She  says, 
"  Why  don't  they  become  milliners  and  mantua-makers,  and 
earn  a  fortune,  and  an  independent  position,  instead  of  re 
maining  slop-workers,  earning  barely  a  living,  and  never 
rising  above  a  servile  and  cringing  dependence?"  (Reply. 
Because  there  are  hundreds  of  milliners  and  mantua-makers 
that  scarcely  earn  wages  enough  to  keep  body  and  soul 
together,  and  as  large  a  number  that  cannot  get  employ 
ment  more  than  half  the  time.)  She  continues,  "  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  great  and  simple  cause  of  the  low  wages 
paid  to  women,  is  the  low  work  they  produce.  They  are 
equal  only  to  the  coarse  common  labor  ;  they  get  only  the 
coarse,  common  pay."  (Remark.  They  do  not  get "  coarse, 


MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR  WOMEN.      27 

common  pay  "  equal  to  men  doing  "  coarse,  common  labor.") 
She  then  suggests,  "It  is  because  they  have  not  the  re 
quisite  skill  or  money."  (Remark.  If  they  had  skill,  they 
would  require  money  to  rent  respectable  rooms,  and  in  so 
doing,  they  would  be  no  better  off  than  those  would  who 
had  capital  to  commence  business  in  any  other  department.) 
Elsewhere  she  writes,  "  They  cannot  give  up  their  sewing 
long  enough  to  seek  places.  They  have  no  capital  to  live 
on  while  in  search  of  them."  (Remark.  Ah  !  there  is 
the  root  of  the  matter.)  Gail  Hamilton  proposes  that 
thousands  of  underpaid  sewing  women  maintain  themselves 
by  becoming  servants.  (Remark.  Many  of  those  women, 
-who  are  seamstresses,  have  not  the  health  and  strength  to 
go  into  the  kitchen,  and  cook,  and  wash,  and  iron.  There 
are  already  more  women  as  domestics  than  places.  What 
is  to  become  of  those  who  now  do  kitchen  work  if  they  lose 
their  situations?  No  suggestion  whatever  is  made  to  them, 
no  provision  by  which  they  are  to  sustain  themselves.) 

Gail  Hamilton  writes  of  the  indifference  felt  for  the  low- 
ness  of  wages  paid  female  teachers.  So  great  is  the  strug 
gle  for  self  in  this  world  that  none  but  teachers  are  likely  to 
feel  an  interest  in  the  matter.  She  suggests  that  "  womeu 
who  have  not  the  power,  or  the  taste,  to  become  trained  and 
valued  teachers,  become  trained  housewives,  or  skillful 
seamstresses,  or  accomplished  laundresses,  or  sweetmeat- 
makers,  or  strawberry  fanciers,  or  counting-room  clerks." 
I  am  sorry  that  Gail  Hamilton  offers  nothing  better  to 
women  teachers  —  nothing  more  in  consonance  with  their 
education.  Would  it  not  be  better  for  them  to  become 
physicians,  librarians,  proof-readers,  engravers,  modelers, 
carvers,  photographers,  telegraph  operators,  florists,  fruit 
growers,  &c.  ?  *  Gail  Hamilton  would  push  educated,  intel 
ligent  American  women  into  menial  service.  She  would 
call  into  play  their  material,  at  the  expense  of  their  spiritual, 
nature. 

*  See  "  Employments  of  Women,"  for  sale  by  R.  W.  Carroll  & 
Co.,  Cincinnati. 


28  MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WO  MEM 

By  being  kept  as  domestic  drudges,  women  are  the  ser 
vants  of  men  intellectually,  and  morally,  as  well  as  phys 
ically.  She  runs  into  the  very  fault  for  which  she  sar 
castically,  and  pointedly,  criticises  Dr.  Todd's  essays  on 
u  Woman's  Rights."  Are  she  and  the  doctor  in  partnership? 
Because  teachers  have  not  the  spirit  to  yield  to  injustice  in 
wages,  and  want  of  appreciation  by  the  parents  of  their 
pupils,  must  they  sink  a  proper  ambition  for  positions  suited 
to  their  tastes  and  acquirements  ?  Like  many  others,  Gail 
Hamilton  sees  the  difficulties,  but  is  unable  to  propose  means 
for  overcoming  them.  The  number  in  the  few  densely 
crowded  occupations  engaged  in  by  women  for  whom  she 
proposes  a  remedy  is  comparatively  small,  and  in  adopting' 
that  remedy  as  many  lose  places  as  receive  them.  So  that 
in  point  of  numbers,  none  are  benefited. 

The  only  advantage  accrues  to  housekeepers,  who,  for 
the  same  wages  they  now  pay  indifferent  servants,  are  to 
supply  themselves,  and  their  friends,  with  those  that  are 
skillful  and  competent.  But  do  not  the  present  servants 
earn  the  full  amount  of  their  wages  ?  If  so,  by  paying  more 
competent  laborers  the  same  rate  of  wages,  it  is  asking 
more  than  an  equivalent  for  the  employer's  money.  It  is 
reducing  still  lower  the  value  of  the  labor  of  educated 
women.  If  the  employer's  interests  are  only  to  be  consid 
ered,  the  motive  is  an  extremely  selfish  one,  and  none  the 
less  dangerous  that  it  shields  itself  under  the  cloak  of  phi 
lanthropy,  and  a  professed  interest  in  the  welfare  of  women. 
What  has  been  said  is  not  intended  as  an  excuse  for  the 
deficiencies  of  servants.  Many  of  them  are  rude,  diso 
bliging,  and  incompetent.  Let  such  mend  their  ways,  try 
to  learn  how  properly  to  perform  their  duties,  and  execute 
them  with  vigor  and  cheerfulness. 

If  men  will  continue  to  deprive  women  of  the  sources  for 
gaining  a  livelihood,  it  is  only  just  that  they  contribute  to 
their  support.  This  could  be  done  by  a  tax  levied  on  such 
work  as  women  might  do,  but  that  is  monopolized  by  men, 
and  by  requiring  a  percentage  on  the  labor,  or  income,  of 


MORE  EMPLOYMENTS   FOR    WOMEN.  29 

unmarried  men,  beyond  the  age  of  twenty-five,  or  thirty. 
The  marriage  relation  must  remain  one  of  selfishness,  and 
materialism,  until  some  such  revolution  is  wrought. 

When  I  learn  how  many  women  have,  from  want  and 
ignorance  of  any  worthy  occupation  by  which  to  earn  an 
honest  livelihood,  fallen  victims  to  the  wily  snares  of  wicked 
men,  how  many  have  sunk  into  woe  and  wretchedness, 
degradation  and  ruin,  I  would  urge  all  girls  who  have  it  in 
their  power,  as  they  prize  their  own  salvation  in  this  world 
and  another,  to  learn  some  business,  trade,  or  profession. 

And  here  I  would  suggest  to  those  women  in  the  crowded 
thoroughfares  of  the  eastern  United  States,  who,  by  their 
hand  labor,  scarce  earn  a  pittance,  that  they  might  do  much 
better  by  going  into  the  plenteous  West,  and  engaging  in 
the  capacity  of  seamstresses  in  families,  dairy-maids,  and 
similar  offices.  If  they  take  with  them  testimonials  of  abil 
ity  and  character  from  those  with  whom  they  have  lived, 
they  will  probably  fare  better.  There  are  few  families  in 
the  Western  States  but  would  gladly  give  a  young  woman 
her  board,  and  some  pay  for  her  work,  or  her  board  for  part 
of  her  work,  and  the  rest  of  her  time  permit  her  to  take  in, 
and  have  'the  proceeds  of,  work  from  others,  as  sewing 
and  embroidery. 

Mary  women  find  themselves  a  surplus  in  their  own  field 
of  labor  by  the  introduction  of  machinery,  and  consequent 
diminution  of  hands  required.  For  such,  new  countries 
may  present  openings  for  employment  of  the  kind  they  are 
fitted  for,  or  if  not  in  their  own  specific  branch,  in  some 
other.  And  we  would  advise  women  in  overstocked  coun 
tries  to  emigrate,  by  all  means,  if  they  have  health,  pecun 
iary  means  sufficient,  and  friends  to  go  with,  or  to  go  to. 

"  At  present,  language  practically  held  by  modern  soci 
ety  to  destitute  women  may  be  resolved  into  marry,  stitch, 
die,  or  do  worse."  As  a  remedy,  the  author  of  "Woman 
and  Work"  says,  "Apprentice  ten  thousand  women  to* 
watchmakers  ;  train  ten  thousand  for  teachers  to  the  young  ; 
make  ten  thousand  good  accountants ;  put  ten  thousand 
more  to  be  nurses  under  deaconesses  trained  by  Florence 


30  MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR    WOMEN. 

Nightingale  ;  put  some  thousands  in  the  electric  telegraph 
offices  over  all  the  country  ;  educate  one  thousand  lecturers 
for  mechanics'  institutions  ;  one  thousand  readers,  to  read 
the  best  books  to  the  working  people  ;  train  up  ten  thou 
sand  to  manage  washing  machines,  sewing  machines,  &c. 
Then  the  distressed  needlewoman  would  vanish  ;  the  de- 
decayed  gentlewoman  and  broken-down  governesses  would 
no  longer  exist."  What  could  be  a  more  practical  and 
common-sense  plan? 

We  met  with  this  newspaper  statement:  "A  woman, 
who  was  recently  arrested  in  London  for  begging  in  male 
attire,  confessed  that  at  various  times  during  the  last  seven 
years  she  had  acted  as  stoker  on  a  Cunard  steamer,  porter 
on  the  Great  Western  Railway,  sailor,  and  bar-tender."  But 
to  come  nearer  home.  A  young  woman  of  Minnesota  was 
obliged,  by  the  impossibility  of  getting  remunerative  work, 
to  put  on  men's  clothes,  and  go  with  men  into  the  woods,  to 
be  employed  at  thirty  dollars  per  month,  as  cook.  She  was 
discovered  to  be  a  woman  by  the  work-warden,  while  chop 
ping  wood,  and  dismissed. 

Many,  perhaps,  remember  to  have  seen  a  notice,  a  few 
months  back,  of  a  tailoress  in  Cincinnati,  who  found  it  im 
possible  to  get  enough  sewing  at  such  prices  as  would  sup 
port  her,  and,  in  consequence,  donned  male  attire,  crossed 
the  river,  and  sought  work  in  Covington  as  a  tailor ;  but 
her  sex  being  discovered,  she  was  apprehended  and  brought 
before  the  court. 

Another  instance,  of  a  similar  nature,  was  that  of  a  girl 
who  sold  fruit  among  the  soldiers.  Thinking  she  would  be 
safer  from  insult,  and  quite  as  likely  to  sell  her  fruit  for  a 
good  price,  she  disguised  herself  as  a  boy. 

Madame  Pfeiffer  mentions  a  young  girl  in  the  peniten 
tiary  on  Blackwell's  Island,  sentenced  for  serving  on  board 
ship  as  a  sailor  ;  and  several  cases  came  to  notice  during 
the  war,  of  women  who  were  without  means  and  work, 
that  enlisted  as  soldiers. 

The  war  caused  many  women  to  enter  occupations  be 
neath  their  education  and  manners,  because  they  had  not 


MORE  EMPLOYMENTS  FOR  WOMEN.      31 

been  trained  for  any  skillful  labor,  while  the  scarcity  of 
men  opened  advantages  to  many  women  who  had  the  enter 
prise  and  energy  to  engage  in  business.  As  a  proof  of  the 
latter  statement,  I  subjoin  a  paragraph  I  clip  from  a  news 
paper  :  "A  poor  but  well-educated  New  England  girl  a  few- 
years  since  opened  a  real  estate  office  in  St.  Paul,  and  last 
year  the  profits  of  her  business  were  five  thousand  dollars, 
and  she  now  has  an  estate  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars." 

In  another  paper  I  find  this  paragraph  :  "  A  Wall  Street 
firm  has  a  regular  lady  customer,  who  daily  speculates 
through  them  to  the  amount  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  thousand 
dollars." 


32      MACHINERY— ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS. 


MACHINERY  — ITS   MERITS   AND   DEMERITS. 

MACHINERY  has  served  to  furnish  the  great  mass  of 
mankind  with  the  comforts  of  life.  The  diffusion 
of  manufactured  products  is  now  almost  universal.  For 
merly  the  favored  few  enjoyed  the  results  of  mechanical 
skill  and  artistic  design  ;  now  the  multitude  receive  them 
almost  as  the  water  they  drink,  and  the  air  they  breathe. 
Particularly  is  this  the  case  in  the  United  States,  where 
wealth  is  more  generally  diffused  than  in  the  older  coun 
tries,  and  where  the  man  of  health  and  industry  is  the 
architect  of  his  own  fortune. 

% 

The  use  of  machinery,  it  is  generally  admitted,  dimin 
ishes  the  demand  for  manual  labor.  It  does  so  to  a  great 
extent.  Yet  the  increased  cheapness  of  some  articles  manu 
factured  brings  them  more  in  demand,  and  consequently, 
after  a  time,  as  large  a  number,  or  nearly  so,  of  workmen 
may  be  employed  in  the  management  of  machinery  as  were 
before  in  making  the  same  goods  by  hand.  Such,  we  say, 
is  the  case  with  some  machinery,  but  not  with  all.  Politi 
cal  economists  may  talk  as  they  please  of  the  increased 
demand  of  articles  manufactured  by  machinery,  and  their 
proportionate  cheapness  ;  but  we  do  know  that  many  have 
been  thrown  out  of  employment  by  the  use  of  some  kinds 
of  machinery.  Not  that  we  object  at  all  to  machinery,  or 
to  its  use  ;  but  the  immediate  result  is  often  deplorable  — 
the  loss  of  bread  to  the  poor,  who,  by  it,  have  been  deprived 
of  employment,  and  cannot  find  other  remunerative  labor. 
It  would  be  well  if  employers  would  interest  themselves  to 
secure  labor  for  those  so  displaced. 

An  intelligent  shoe-binder  told  me,  in  18G2,  that  she  did 
work  then  for  thirty-seven  cents  for  which  she  had  formerly 


MACHINERY- ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS.      33 

received  seventy-five  ;  and  a  shirt-maker  told  a  friend  of 
mine  she  could  get  but  two  dollars  a  week  at  that  time  — 
1862  —  for  which  she  had  formerly  received  four.  The  fall 
in  prices  was  attributed  to  sewing  machines.  One  educated 
and  refined  woman,  who  had  been  reduced  in  fortune,  and 
was  striving  to  make  a  living,  told  me  that  if  she  could, 
without  destroying  property,  and  thereby  wronging  others, 
she  would  burn  every  sewing  machine  in  New  York.  Yet, 
when  sewing  machines  were  brought  into  use,  they  enabled 
women  to  do  much  work  previously  performed  by  men  only  ; 
but  now  nearly  as  many  men  as  women  use  them.  The 
manufacture,  merely,  of  sewing  machines,  has  given  em 
ployment  to  a  great  many  men.  » 

The  tendency  of  machinery  is  to  enrich  the  few,  and  im 
poverish  the  many.  On  the  introduction  of  a  new  machine, 
many  operatives  are  liable  to  have  their  wages  reduced; 
but  this  reduction  rarely  continues.  Yet  the  compensation 
is  still  very  low  compared  with  the  cost  of  living.  "  The 
whole  secret  of  using  machinery  lies  in  this  :  that  the  work 
men  do  not  work  for  themselves.  The  workman  sells  his 
time,  strength,  skill,  and  labor,  all  his  ingenuity,  all  his 
cleverness,  all  his  industry,  all  his  health,  to  his  master. 
If  he  performed  a  thousand  times  as  much  work  as  he  does, 
he  would  be  no  better  off.  His  master  would  be  the  only 
person  benefited.  The  greater  the  quantity  of  work  done, 
the  richer  would  the  masters  and  upper  classes  become  ; 
but  not  a  jot  richer  would  the  workman  be." 

In  1812  an  insurrection  of  the  working  people  occurred 
in  England.  They  destroyed  a  great  deal  of  machinery. 
They  were  tried  and  severely  punished.  Some  were  impris 
oned,  some  transported,  and  a  number  executed.  In  West 
ern  Prussia,  owing  to  the  introduction  of  machinery,  the 
wages  of  spinners  and  weavers  fell,  four  years  ago,  to  star 
vation  prices.  A  cotton  weaver,  working  all  day  and  part 
of  the  night,  obtained  but  seventy-two  and  a  half  cents  for 
two  weeks'  labor.  The  linen  weavers  did  rather  better, 
getting  seventy-two  and  a  half  cents  for  sixteen  hours'  work, 
while  the  spinners  did  not  get  quite  two  cents  a  day  for 
3 


34      MACHINERY— ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS. 

their  work.  As  Mrs.  Collins  says  in  the  "  Lace  Runners," 
(by  Charlotte  Elizabeth,)  "  Ah,  well  may  the  manufactur 
ers  get  iron,  and  wood,  and  leather  straps,  to  carry  on  their 
business  for  them,  for  such  things  can't  give  out  tears  of 
hunger,  and  sorrow,  and  pain." 

In  some  cases  strikes  in  England  have  exercised  inven 
tive  talent,  and  been  the  means  of  producing  machinery 
that  defeated  the  object  of  the  workmen,  thereby  throwing 
many  of  them  out  of  employment,  and  reducing  the  wages 
of  many  others. 

Says  Mr.  Davis,  "  In  a  country  where  there  is  a  redun 
dancy  of  workmen,  where  the  demand  for  the  commodity 
decreases,  or  where  the  manufactory  has  been  previously 
established,  and  carried  on  by  manual  labor,  machinery  is, 
and  must  be,  highly  injurious." 

We  greatly  wish  that  some  remedy  could  be  devised  by 
which  the  disadvantage  arising  from  the  loss  of  labor  to 
many,  on  the  introduction  of  new  machinery,  might  be 
counterbalanced.  We  refer  more  particularly  to  the  late 
inventions,  not  so  much  to  the  machinery  used  in  the  man 
ufacture  of  cotton  and  woolen  cloths  ;  for  these  articles  we 
know  had,  previous  to  the  war,  a  greatly  increased  demand, 
owing  to  the  reduction  of  prices  occasioned  by  the  compar 
ative  cheapness  of  the  material,  and  the  reduction  in  the 
cost  of  its  manufacture. 

Inventive  talent  is  a  distinguishing  feature  of  Americans. 
The  machinery  produced  by  them  is  noted  for  its  lightness, 
simplicity,  and  adaptability.  The  variety  of  labor-saving 
machinery  in  the  United  States  surpasses  that  of  all  other 
countries. 

Thousands  of  foreigners,  that  annually  come  to  our  coun 
try,  are  enabled  by  their  economical  living,  and  strong  mus 
cles,  to  underwork  Americans  in  their  prices. 

"Great  Britain,  in  1850,  was  going  through  an  amount 
of  work  with  four  millions  of  laborers,  which,  without  ma 
chinery,  could  not  have  been  accomplished  except  by  a  work 
ing  population  of  six  hundred  and  four  millions."  All  this 
machine  power  has  been  produced  within  the  last  century. 


MACHINERY—  ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS.      35 

In  fact,  during  the  last  fifty  years,  more  has  been  accom 
plished  by  industrial  labor,  guided  by  science,  and  aided  by 
art,  than  during  any  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  previous. 

There  will  come  times  of  great  changes  in  the  occupations 
of  thousands,  as  improvements  in  manufactures,  and  ma 
chinery,  are  continued.  The  more  machinery  is  used,  the 
more  universally  intelligence  is  wanted  in  the  workers. 
Physical  force  is  no  longer  sufficient,  as  in  by-gone  days,  for 
the  success  of  the  laborer.  More  skill,  and  less  strength, 
is  required  in  using  machinery  than  in  working  by  hand. 
Inventive  talent,  rightly  used,  is  a  great  economizer. 

"  Without  machinery  there  could  be  no  human  labor  at 
all,  for  everything  beyond  our  naked  fingers  is  machinery; 
the  needle,  the  spade,  the  distaff,  the  plow,  are  as  strictly 
machines  as  the  steam  engine."  The  invention,  and  em 
ployment,  of  extensive  and  complicated  machinery,  is  event 
ually  of  advantage  to  mankind,  though,  as  we  said,  in  its 
introduction  it  is  generally  the  means  of  throwing  many  out 
of  employment.  It  certainly  diminishes  hard  labor,  and  if 
other  occupations,  involving  less  toil,  can  be  opened  to  opera 
tives,  thus  deprived  of  employment,  it  removes  the  ground 
for  objection  and  prejudice,  and  proves  a  benefit  to  all  con 
cerned.  But  the  great  difficulty  lies  in  the  opening  of  more 
occupations  than  now  exist.  Inventive  talents  have  already 
been  taxed  to  their  utmost  in  this  way.  The  labor  and  toil 
of  men  are  increased  with  the  improvements  of  the  race,  but 
are  counterbalanced  by  the  increase  of  machinery.  Not 
withstanding  the  invention,  and  use,  of  machinery,  constant 
and  wearing  toil  is  the  lot  of  the  larger  portion  of  the  race. 

The  question  has  often  suggested  itself  to  my  mind,  What 
is  the  proportion  of  those  employed  in  hand  labor  compared 
with  those  that  work  on  machinery?  Is  there  not  enough 
hand  labor  to  furnish  employment  for  all  that  cannot  be 
employed  on  machinery  ? 

By  mechanical  contrivances  less  bodily  exertion  is  required, 
the  work  is  done  more  expeditiously,  and  at  less  expense  ;  so 
there  is  a  saving  of  time,  labor,  and  money.  As  a  single 


36       MACIIINER  Y—  ITS  MERITS  AND  DEMERITS. 

proof  of  expedition,  we  would  state  that  twenty-nine  hun 
dred  envelopes  are  made  in  an  hour  by  machinery. 

The  number  of  machines  made,  and  the  increased  quan 
tity  of  goods  manufactured,  as  a  general  tiling,  employ,  in 
the  course  of  time,  about  as  many,  or  more,  work-people 
as  were  before  employed  in  the  fabrication  of  goods  only. 
Though  at  the  introduction  it  may  throw  some  out  of  em 
ployment,  it  eventually  brings  employment  to  as  many  more. 
To  such  as  doubt  it,  I  would  refer  to  a  little  work  called 
"  Results  of  Machinery,"  published  in  London,  and  repub- 
lished  in  this  country. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  we  can  offer  of 
the  great  increase  in  the  value  of  material  by  the  labor  and 
skill  expended,  is  the  following  :  "  Among  the  marvels  of 
watch-making,  we  would  mention,  that  a  single  pound  of 
steel,  costing  fifty  cents,  when  manufactured  into  one  hun 
dred  thousand  screws,  is  worth  eleven  hundred  dollars,  and 
when  sold,  ultimately  brings  at  least  fifteen  thousand  dol 
lars  ;  and  when  manufactured  into  watch-springs,  it  is  worth 
eighteen  hundred  dollars,  and  these  in  turn  bring  eight 
thousand  dollars." 


WORK  AS  SO  CIA  TIONS.  3  7 


WORK  ASSOCIATIONS  AND   COOPERATIVE 
SOCIETIES. 


associations  are  composed  of  people  of  some 
particular  trade,  who  unite  their  money  and  labors 
and  establish  a  business  for  themselves.  They  may  borrow 
means,  paying  interest,  or  take  into  partnership  some  cap 
italists,  who  furnish  means,  and  receive  a  proportion  of  the 
profits. 

There  are  probably  one  hundred  cooperative  associations 
in  England.  There  are  work  associations  in  France  and 
Germany,  of  tailors,  cabinet-makers,  masons,  &c.  They 
have  long  had  an  existence  in  France.  One  dates  back  to 
1694,  and  contains  one  hundred  members.  About  one  hun 
dred  and  seventy  mutual  aid  associations  exist  among 
workmen  in  Paris.  Work  associations  may  become  motive 
powers  of  vast  influence,  and  a  source  of  mutual  benefit  to 
the  higher  and  lower  classes. 

The  guilds  of  European  countries  are  very  similar  in 
their  nature.  They  are  organizations  for  furnishing  aid 
to  members  of  their  own  guilds  when  sick,  or  out  of  em 
ployment.  They  promote  strength  and  unity  in  the  differ 
ent  trades.  According  to  Mr.  London,  the  guild  companies 
of  Germany  exercise  a  prohibitive  power  over  the  mar 
riages  of  their  members,  lest,  I  presume,  by  a  surplus  of 
workmen  in  any  one  branch,  it  should  tend  to  reduce  the 
wages  of  journeymen.  Tailors,  brush-makers,  carpet  man 
ufacturers,  and  those  in  some  other  trades,  have  guilds  in 
England.  Each  member  contributes  a  small  sum  weekly. 
By  it,  too,  some  crafts  are  enabled  to  acquire  high  and  uni 
form  wages,  by  supporting  for  the  time  those  who,  being 
beaten  down  in  price,  refuse  employment. 


38  WORK  ASSOCIATIONS. 

The  origin  of  guilds  and  fraternities  is  quite  ancient.  It 
is  supposed,  from  papers  now  in  the  British  Museum,  that 
they  existed  among  the  Saxons.  Even  among  the  Athe 
nians  and  Romans  they  were  known.  We  find,  in  the 
"  Domestic  Manners  and  Customs  of  Asia,"  by  Dr.  Edrehi, 
mention  made  of  processions  formed  in  Constantinople,  at 
different  times,  of  guilds  of  the  city.  He  takes  his  de 
scriptions  from  Evlia,  a  Turkish  traveller  and  historian,  and 
from  Von  Ilommer.  According  to  Von  Hommer,  guilds 
date  back  as  far  as  the  most  flourishing  epoch  of  the  Bagdad 
caliphs.  "  The  guilds  or  corporations  of  Constantinople 
consisted  of  forty-six,  subdivided  into  five  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  minor  crafts,  at  the  period  of  the  last  grand  muster, 
under  Mustapha  III.,  in  1769.  These  subdivisions  com 
prised  every  calling  gaining  a  livelihood  by  science,  art, 
commerce,  or  handiwork,  including  the  church  and  liberal 
professions." 

Iii  the  United  States  the  government  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
people,  and  though  we  would  not,  for  a  moment,  encourage 
the  slightest  disregard  for  the  laws  of  the  country,  yet  we 
would  say  to  the  laboring  classes,  particularly  of  women, 
when  your  wages  are  such  that  you  cannot,  by  constant 
labor,  earn  the  necessaries  of  life,  make  a  strike  —  call  for 
higher  wages  —  but  to  do  so,  you  must  be  united  in  effort. 
No  personal  jealousies  should  be  permitted  to  interfere  with 
the  public  interest  of  your  class.  Wages  are  often  raised 
by  means  of  strikes  ;  but  it  is  only  for  a  time,  if  a  surplus  of 
persons  remain  in  the  trade.  The  wages  fall  back  to  where 
they  were.  And  the  loss  of  time  and  money  during  the 
strike  often  amounts  to  quite  as  much  as  the  gains  —  besides, 
it  produces  a  temporary  derangement  of  all  business.  Unless 
wages  are  very  depressed,  strikes  are  productive  of  evil. 
They  disarrange  society,  giving  play  to  bad  passions,  and  • 
producing  distrust  and  confusion.  They  render  business 
stagnant,  not  only  in  their  own  department,  but  every  other. 
An  immense  amount  of  labor  is  lost  to  a  community  by 
strikes.  An  estimate  can  be  found  in  this  way :  if  six  hun 
dred  men  engage  in  a  strike,  for  one  day,  it  is  equal  to  the 


WORK  ASSOCIATIONS.  39 

loss  of  work  of  one  hundred  men  for  a  week.  The  strikes 
of  shoemakers  in  the  New  England  States,  about  seven 
years  ago,  and  the  strikes  of  all  classes  of  trades-people 
throughout  the  country,  about  five  years  ago,  threw  much 
light  upon  the  condition  of  trades,  the  wages  paid,  &c.  In 
many  cases,  the  advantages  derived  from  a  strike,  are  only 
temporary,  but  not  always,  for  the  visible  expression  of 
opinion  gives  power  and  strength.  The  principal  advan 
tage  to  be  derived  is  in  calling  public  attention  to  the  wrongs 
of  the  business,  eliciting  public  interest  and  influence,  and 
thereby  redressing  wrongs.  It  is  the  means,  too,  in  many 
cases,  of  changing  into  other  channels  a  surplus  of  labor 
from  one  that  is  overstocked. 

It  might  be  an  advantage  to  women  in  the  various  trades 
to  have  protective  unions,  and  a  standard  of  prices.  If  the 
women,  in  any  trade,  would  combine,  and  with  determina 
tion  refuse  to  work  for  less  than  certain  wages,  would  they 
not  obtain  them  as  men  do  ?  There  are  protective  unions 
among  men  in  Boston  and  various  New  England  towns. 
Also,  some  in  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  other  cities. 
Some  of  the  shoe  operatives  formed  an  association  in  Lynn, 
at  the  time  of  the  excitement  in  1862.  It  was  a  stock  com 
pany,  and  the  shares  such  as  to  put  it  in  the  power  of  any 
one  to  become  a  member. 

We  would  recommend  to  the  laboring  classes  the  es 
tablishment  of  cooperative  stores.  Since  1843  they  have 
been  established  quite  extensively  throughout  Europe.  A 
work  entitled  "  Cooperative  Stores,"  h*as  been  published  by 
Leypoldt  &  Holt,  New  York,  giving  much  interesting  in 
formation  on  the  subject. 

The  plans  in  operation  for  aiding  and  improving  the  work 
ing  classes  of  England,  are,  Savings  Banks,  Friendly  Socie 
ties,  Annuities,  Loan  Societies,  Life  Assurance,  Cooperative 
Stores,  Temperance  Institutes,  Trade  Societies,  Industrial 
Partnerships,  Land  Societies,  Mechanics'  Institutes,  Build 
ing  Societies,  Working  Men's  Colleges,  Reading  Rooms,  and 
Mutual  Improvement  Societies.  England  is  far  ahead  of 
the  United  States  in  the  variety  and  number  of  such  organ- 


40  WORK  ASSOCIATIONS. 

izations,  and  of  newspaper,  periodical,  and  book  literature 
pertaining  to  these  matters.  A  description  of  some  of  these 
organizations  can  be  found  in  a  work  containing  a  vast 
amount  of  valuable  information,  entitled  "  Progress  of  the 
Working  Classes,"  1832-1867  ;  sold  by  Koutledge  &  Son, 
New  York  City. 

I  rejoice  when  I  see  labor  and  industry  clamoring  for  their 
rights.  They  can  gain  attention  only  by  doing  so.  They  have 
been  too  long  overlooked  and  disregarded,  both  by  those  at 
the  helm  of  state,  (many  of  whom  have  risen  there  by  the 
assiduously  sought  votes  of  laboring  men,)  and  by  the  public 
in  general,  deeply  engrossed  in  individual  interests.  More 
especially  do  I  rejoice  that  women  are  making  known  the 
injustice  they  suffer  from  low  wages,  and  from  overwork  in 
some  cases,  and  a  scarcity  of  remunerative  work  in  others. 
Cold,  starvation,  and  oppression  have  driven  them  to  it. 

Few  employers  have  ever  been  known  to  raise  the  wages 
of  their  work-people  without  being  asked,  or  required  to  do 
so.  Most  of  them  must  be  forced  into  it,  and  this  is  why 
work-people  unite  in  associations  for  self-protection. 

Looseness  of  principle  has  been  charged  against  the 
working  class,  on  the  ground  that  they  labor  merely  to 
obtain  a  livelihood,  not  to  exalt  or  elevate  their  business. 
We  would  be  happy  to  know  the  number  in  any  depart 
ment,  even  of  art  or  science,  that  labor  merely  for  the 
pleasure  of  it.  The  proportion  would  probably  be  one  to 
ten  thousand. 

As  demand  and  supply  regulate  even  the  price  of  labor, 
we  think  it  will  not  be  very  easy  to  establish  regular  prices 
in  large  and  changing  cities  like  New  York,  except  among 
superior  workmen,  who  will  be  employed  by  those  who  are 
willing  to  pay  fair  wages  for  a  good  quality  of  work.  But 
if  there  were  a  combination  among  the  first  class  workmen 
of  different  trades,  in  cities  of  permanent  population,  that 
would  not  labor  for  --less  than  stated  prices,  they  might,  in 
time,  be  able  to  bring  employers  into  measures  when  they 
are  disposed  to  act  unreasonably.  But  they  would  need  a 
home,  and  means  to  sustain  them  during  the  time,  or 


WORK  ASSOCIATIONS.  41 

depend  upon  pecuniary  aid  from  societies  in  other  places. 
The  editor  of  the  "  Philadelphia  Ledger,"  of  January,  1852, 
said,  "  The  remedy  of  laborers  is  combination,  not  competi 
tion,  and  combination  to  work  in  partnership  instead  of  not 
to  work  at  all." 

The  corporate  bodies  of  a  city,  founded  on  capital  and 
combination,  are  a  great  drawback  to  those  who  are  not 
members  of  a  corporation.  They  elicit  prejudice,  and  suf 
fer  from  a  pecuniary  competition  with  others  situated  like 
themselves. 

There  are  some  destitute  people  not  fit  subjects  either  for 
the  work-house,  or  a  charitable  institution,  but  who  should 
be  furnished  with  work  at  a  fair  compensation.  This  is 
now  bein£  done  in  some  cities. 


42  INFLUENTIAL  CIRCUMSTANCES. 


CIRCUMSTANCES  THAT  INFLUENCE  WAGES 
AND  LABOR. 

RATES  of  wages,  in  most  cases,  rise  and  fall  according 
as  the  work  requires  more  or  less  dexterity,  or  exer 
tion,  as  the  individual  workman  is  more  or  less  distinguished 
by  skill,  strength,  or  diligence,  as  the  scarcity  and  the  sup 
ply  of  workmen  is  greater  or  less,  as  the  days  are  longer  or 
shorter,  as  the  cost  of  living  is  high  or  low,  &c. 

The  circumstances  which  cause  the  recompense  of  employ 
ments  to  rise  above,  or  fall  below,  the  common  level  are 
stated  by  Adam  Smith  to  be  the  five  following :  "  1st.  The 
agreeableness  and  the  disagreeableness  of  the  employments 
themselves.  2d.  The  easiness  or  cheapness,  or  the  difficulty 
and  expense  of  learning  them.  3d.  The  constancy  or  in 
constancy  of  the  employments.  4th.  The  small  or  great 
trust  which  must  be  reposed  in  those  who  follow  them.  5th. 
The  probability  or  improbability  of  succeeding  in  them." 

We  have  seen  it  stated  that  the  value  of  an  article  pro 
duced,  is  the  labor  required  for  its  production ;  but  this 
statement  does  not  always  hold  true. 

The  proportion  of  wages  for  labor,  to  taxation,  varies  in 
different  countries.  Some  have  proportioned  wages  to  the 
population,  some  to  the  taxation,  some  to  the  various  rates 
of  profit,  and  some  to  the  price  of  food.  But  the  circum 
stances  that  influence  wages  and  labor,  and  form  a  connec 
tion  between  the  two,  are  complex.  Any  one  cause  will  not 
form  a  sufficient  foundation  for  a  theory. 

"  Senior  accounts  for  the  anomaly  that  wages  and  tax 
ation  are  not  proportional,  by  saying  that  labor  in  some 
countries  is  not  productive  of  exportable  commodities." 

It  is  said  the  best  paid  workmen  in  some  classes  of  labor 
are  the  most  thriftless.  If  so,  the  fault  does  not  lie  in  good 


INFLUENTIAL  CIRCUMSTANCES.  43 

wages  being  paid,  but  in  the  want  of  correct  principles  and 
virtuous  habits.  Such  workmen  could  not  be  benefited  by 
a  still  greater  advance  in  wages,  but  might  become  more 
wasteful  and  profligate.  It  would  be  well  if  such  men  re 
ceived  even  less  wages.  But  it  would  be  sad  if  those  depen 
dent  on  them,  as  wives  and  children,  were  to  suffer  from  the 
curtailment.  The  best  remedies  for  the  reform  of  work 
people,  are  to  deliver  lectures  on  subjects  of  a  nature  cal 
culated  to  improve,  induce  them  to  attend  church  service, 
and  give  a  sound  moral  education  to  their  children.  Some 
of  those  who  are  paid  very  high  wages  for  their  services,  or 
acquire  a  reputation  in  their  business,  or  follow  an  unhealthy 
vocation,  become,  after  a  time,  idle  and  negligent.  Those 
in  occupations  poorly  paid,  are  likely  to  become  careless, 
and,  in  most  cases,  only  indifferent  workers  can  be  obtained. 
If  an  individual  is  not  satisfied  with  his  employer,  he  had 
better  remedy  his  condition  by  seeking  another,  or  working 
on  his  own  responsibility,  and  if  he  has  capital  employ  it  in 
doing  so.  Or,  perhaps,  he  may  be  invited  by  some  other 
employer,  who  knows  of  his  dissatisfaction,  to  accept  a 
place  with  him.  Any  change  made  in  an  occupation  usu 
ally  has  in  view  one  of  four  advantages,  greater  wealth, 
honor,  ease,  or  better  health. 

"  There  are  three  circumstances,  each  of  which,  other  things 
remaining  the  same,  would  enable  the  working  classes  to  in 
crease  their  consumption  of  wealth  :  1.  A  rise  in  the  ratio 
ofwa^es.  2.  A  greater  demand  for  labor.  3.  A  reduction 
in  the  price  of  articles  of  general  consumption." 

Experience,  skill,  and  judgment  in  an  occupation  can  com 
mand  the  best  wages.  The  age  of  the  individual  should  also 
be  taken  into  consideration.  This  is  rarely  done  with  wo 
men,  but  always  with  men  and  boys.  Men  with  large  fam 
ilies  to  support  usually  receive  better  wages  than  single  men. 
The  inquiry  is  rarely  made  of  a  middle  aged,  or  elderly 
woman,  whether  she  has  a  family  to  support,  and  most  em 
ployers  never  care  to  know.  Women's  labor  is  not  paid  for 
in  proportion  to  the  time  consumed,  the  trouble  or  danger 
it,  nor  the  benefits  to  accrue  from  it.  The  conduct 


44  INFLUENTIAL  CIRCUMSTANCES. 

of  girls  in  saloons,  factories,  workshops,  &c.,will  depend  very 
much  on  the  character  of  employers.  Wages  will  vary, 
in  a  measure,  according  to  the  character  of  the  establishment. 
Competent,  well-behaved  girls  will  demand,  and  receive,  in 
respectable  establishments,  a  better  price  than  others. 

The  value  of  the  work,  the  skill  of  the  worker,  and  the 
demand  and  supply  of  labor,  should  determine  the  rate  of 
compensation.  But  there  is  another  item  that  enters,  ma 
terially,  into  the  price  to  be  paid  for  labor,  or  anything  else. 
It  is  the  ability  of  the  purchaser  to  pay.  The  disposition  to 
employ  labor  will  depend  much  on  its  profitableness,  and  the 
security  of  capital  so  invested.  Labor  in  large  cities,  like 
everything  else,  is  reckoned  according  to  its  quality,  and 
the  time  consumed.  Indifferent  work  brings  a  poor  price, 
while  skillful  labor  commands  a  high  price. 

The  smaller  the  number  of  work-people  in  any  branch  of 
mechanical  labor,  essential  to  the  support  or  comfort  of 
life,  the  higher  the  wages  they  can  command.  Wages  are, 
to  some  extent,  proportioned  in  various  countries  to  the  cost 
of  living  of  the  working  classes.  These  classes,  of  course, 
differ  very  greatly  in  intelligence,  invention,  virtue,  and  skill, 
and  the  greater  these  qualities  the  higher  the  wages  the  work 
man  demands,  and  the  better,  generally,  his  mode  of  living. 
The  supply  and  demand  for  labor  will  also  influence  wages. 

"  For  all  material  products  there  is  both  an  actual  and 
a  speculative  demand  —  for  labor  there  is  only  an  actual  de 
mand.  Therefore,  a  general  rise  of  prices  must  always 
operate  against  the  laborer  or  person  employed  on  salary  or 
wages.  But  wages  not  only  never  rise  so  much  as  other 
commodities,  but  never  rise  as  soon.  They  do  not  rise  until 
speculation  has  engendered  a  spirit  of  extravagance  and 
increased  consumption,  and  then  wages  take  an  advance 
about  half  as  great  on  an  average  as  that  of  merchandise 
and  other  things.  Wages  fall  sooner,  because  merchandise 
may  be,  and  is,  held  for  high  prices,  if  need  be.  Its  fall  is 
broken  by  the  disposition  and  ability  of  the  owners  to  hold 
on,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  prevent  loss ;  but  the  laborer 
cannot  hold  on  —  he  must  sell  his  commodity  at  once  for 
the  most  it  will  bring." 


INFLUENTIAL  CIRCUMSTANCES.  45 

The  degree  of  perfection  to  which  arts,  manufactures, 
trade,  and  agriculture,  are  carried,  determines  the  number  of 
people  a  given  tract  of  country  is  able  to  sustain,  more  than 
the  natural  resources  of  that  country,  for  as  a  nation  ad 
vances  in  civilization  the  wants  of  its  people  increase, 
and  with  the  wants  the  invention  of  occupations  by  which 
to  supply  those  wants.  It  is  not  often  that  both  farmers  and 
manufacturers  thrive  at  the  same  time.  When  produce  is 
low  the  farmer  suffers,  when  manufactured  goods  are  low 
the  operative  suffers. 

"  The  workmen  most  affected  by  the  aristocratic,  popular, 
or  general  fashions,  are,  tailors,  ladies'  habit-makers,  glovers, 
milliners,  dress-makers,  artificial  flower-makers,  plumissiers, 
stay-makers,  silk  and  velvet  weavers,  saddlers,  harness-ma 
kers,  coach-builders,  cabmen,  job  coachmen,  furriers,  livery 
stable  keepers,  poulterers,  pastry  cooks,  confectioners,  &c."  , 

In  reference  to  the  prejudice  existing  against  women  re 
ceiving  money  for  their  work,  Madame  Bodichon  says  in 
her  most  excellent  book,  "  Women  and  Work,  "  "  Money 
is  only  a  representative  of  desirable  things.  It  would  be 
well  if  all  should  part  with  all  they  make,  or  what  they  do 
well  for  money  ;  they  will  then  know  that  some  really  want 
what  they  produce.  What  they  produce  will  go  to  the  right 
people,  and  they,  the  producers,  will  gain  a  power  ;  for  money 
is  a  power.  Money  may  be  a  power  to  do  good.  If  for 
your  needlework  you  get  money,  you  know  that  your  work 
goes  to  some  one  who  wants  it.  You  are  not  always  sure 
of  that  if  you  give  it  away ;  and  you  gain  a  power  of  send 
ing  a  child  to  school,  of  buying  a  good  book  to  lend  to  the 
ignorant,  of  sending  a  sick  person  to  a  good  climate,  &c. 
We  may  give  this  power  up  to  another  who,  we  consider, 
can  use  it  better  than  we  ;  but  money  is  a  power  which  we 
have  not  the  right  lightly  to  reject.  It  is  a  responsibility 
which  we  must  accept.  Of  course  we  may  give  our  labor, 
our  work,  our  money  when  we  think  right ;  but  it  is  as  well 
to  exchange  them  sometimes  for  money  to  be  sure  we  are 
as  valuable  as  we  think.  Some  work  is  beyond  all  price, 
and  many  prices  are  far  beyond  the  value  of  the  works." 


4G  SKILLFUL  LABOR. 


SKILLFUL  LABOR. 

SCIENCE  has  made  earth  give  up  her  most  valuable 
treasures.  It  has  taught  the  sailor  to  plow  the  waters 
of  the  deep  blue  sea,  has  caused  it  to  yield  up  its  richest 
gems,  has  explored  nature's  labyrinth,  and  penetrated  mto 
some  of  her  most  latent  secrets.  It  has  revealed  many 
mysteries  both  in  the  sea  and  on  the  earth.  Art  may  con 
tinue  to  invent,  and  science  to  produce  her  ample  stores,  but 
the  intelligence  of  man  is  needed  to  make  a  judicious  use  of 
them.  The  tendency  of  the  present  age  is  more  material 
than  spiritual. 

Adam  Smith  says  in  his  "  Wealth  of  Nations,  "  "  The 
property  which  every  man  has  in  his  own  labor,  as  it  is  the 
original  foundation  of  all  other  property,  so  it  is  the  most 
sacred  and  inviolable.'* 

People  may  be  divided  into  two  classes  —  those  who  work 
and  those 'who  do  not.  Again,  the  first  class  may  be  divided 
into  those  who  work  for  a  living,  and  those  who  do  not. 

"  If  people  are  looked  at  in  their  different  occupations, 
striking  differences  will  be  immediately  perceived  :  1st.  In 
the  skill,  talent,  or  intelligence  that  is  exercised.  2d.  In  the 
tools,  instruments,  machinery,  and  structures  that  are  used. 
3d.  In  the  materials  that  are  worked.  4th.  In  the  processes 
of  making  or  manufacturing.  5th.  In  the  products  that  are 
created." 

Mr.  "SYade  states,  "  The  wages  of  a,  skillful  laborer  are 
i  compensation  for  the  exertion  of  both  strength  arid 
skill ;  the  wages  of  an  unskilled  laborer,  for  the  exertion 
of  strength  only.  It  is  only  those  who  have  paid  the  price, 
either  in  money  or  money's  worth,  to  obtain  a  knowledge 


SKILLFUL  LABOR.  47 

of  the  business  of  the  skilled  laborer,  that  can  compete 
against  him  for  employment." 

A  person  of  intelligence  may  command  higher  wages 
than  a  dull,  phlegmatic  person  engaged  in  the  same  occu 
pation.  And  one  that  has  taste,  skill,  and  experience  will 
command  higher  wages  than  one  that  has  not.  Workers 
that  are  skillful  and  intelligent  earn  good  wages,  while 
those  that  are  stupid  and  ignorant  obtain  only  low  wages. 
The  better  educated  a  person  is,  the  more  skillful  is  the 
labor  done  by  him  or  her,  if  the  same  degree  of  attention  is 
given.  The  intelligence  of  the  brain  extends  to  the  hands. 

In  the  manufacture  of  almost  every  article  of  goods, 
there  are  different  departments  which  command  different 
prices  according  to  the  skill  required,  the  danger  of  the 
work,  &c.  Even  in  these  separate  departments  there  are, 
in  extensive  manufactures,  different  grades  of  workmen 
whose  prices  vary  according  to  the  quality  of  their  work. 

Men's  labor  that  is  painful  or  destructive  to  health  is 
generally  well  paid.  I  am  sorry  to  say  the  same  does  not 
hold  true  of  woman's  work.  But  in  woman's  work,  as  well 
as  man's,  skilled  labor  is  best  paid.  Those  employments 
requiring  talents  and  learning  should,  and  generally  do, 
command  the  best  prices.  The  rich,  who  are  most  likely 
to  need  such  services,  are  able  to  pay  good  prices.  The 
money,  talents,  time,  and  application  necessary,  as  an  outfit 
for  such  employments,  render  the  number  occupying  them 
comparatively  small. 

One  cause  of  so  much  pauperism  in  the  cities  is  the  un 
willingness  of  the  poor  to  go  to  the  country.  Women, 
with  sewing  machines,  could  in  many  parts  of  the  Western 
country  obtain  employment,  by  going  from  house  to  house 
and  doing  the  family  sewing. 

The  greatest  kindness  we  can  do  women  is  to  encourage, 
and  aid  them,  in  preparing  themselves  for  some  non-domestic 
industry.  The  girl  raised  without  industrious  habits,  and 
not  trained  to  some  employment,  will  find  it  difficult  to 
keep  her  head  above  water  if  she  comes  in  competition  with 
skilled  workers.  Some  allowance  should  be  made  for  any 


48  SKILLFUL  LABOR. 

want  of  skill  in  tlie  few  occupations  that  have  been  opened 
to  women,  because  of  the  great  competition  and  low  wages. 
A  woman  must  be  able  to  look  forward  to  promotion  in  her 
occupation,  and  an  increase  of  wages  with  it,  to  acquire 
skill  and  success.  As  women  have  less  strength  than  men, 
they  should,  in  those  occupations  requiring  strength,  skill, 
and  speed,  endeavor  to  acquire  sufficient  skill  and  speed  to 
make  up  for  a  deficiency  of  strength.  The  great  cry  is  that 
women  do  not  make  themselves  superior  workers  —  they 
do  not  qualify  themselves  thoroughly.  It  is  said  that  for 
the  same  wages  the  majority  of  women  are  willing  to  do 
a  larger  quantity  of  work  carelessly  than  a  smaller  quantity 
carefully.  If  women  will  learn  to  work  thoroughly  and 
skillfully,  there  cannot  then  be  such  injustice  in  the  remu 
neration  of  their  work,  nor  foundation  for  the  assertion 
made  by  some  that  they  are  paid  the  worth  of  their  work. 
We  do  not  believe  there  is  sufficient  cause  for  the  complaint 
so  generally  made  of  imperfect  work  by  women.  It  is  like 
the  cry  of  bugaboo  to  frighten  bad  children.  It  is  mostly 
done  by  employers  to  silence  and  crush  workwomen,  and 
as  an  excuse  to  the  public  for  the  wages  they  pay.  The 
reason  most  women  do  not  make  more  efforts  to  acquire 
proficiency  in  their  occupations,  arises  from  their  being 
obliged  to  labor  constantly  to  meet  the  necessities  of  the 
present,  not  because  they  are  without  the  energy,  enter 
prise,  and  ambition  to  do  so,  nor  because,  as  is  often 
charged  against  them,  they  look  forward  to  marrying  as 
an  escape  from  labor. 

Women  would  do  well  to  train  themselves  thoroughly  for 
their  work.  The  most  industrious  and  skillful  workers  not 
only  receive  best  wages,  but  are  most  sure  to  obtain  em 
ployment.  Besides,  one  that  is  agreeable,  intelligent,  and 
conscientious,  who  can  think  for  herself,  and  perform  her 
work  without  oversight,  is  more  likely  to  secure  employ 
ment  and  good  wages  than  one  who  is  the  reverse.  Women 
suited  to  low  places  will  have  to  take  them,  and  those  suited 
to  high  places  will  secure  them,  if  they  have  health,  self- 
reliance,  and  perseverance. 


SKILLFUL   LABOR.  49 

The  war  that  has  lately  closed  may  cause  some  educated 
women  of  capital  to  engage  iu  the  higher  occupations,  and 
thereby  make  labor  for  women  more  honorable.  It  may 
also  be  the  means  of  raising  women  now  among  the  labor 
ing  classes  to  higher  posts  of  responsibility  and  remunera 
tion.  So  a  general  change  in  regard  to  woman's  work 
may  be  wrought  by  it  on  the  western  continent. 

When  a  number  of  men  or  women  are  employed  to  do 
the  same  kind  of  work,  some  accomplish  more  than  others, 
yet  are  paid  the  same.  Might  it  not  be  well  to  institute 
prizes  as  an  incentive  to  slow  or  careless  workers,  and  a 
reward  for  the  diligent  and  skillful?  In  the  higher 
branches  of  labor,  a  workman's  wages  are  proportioned 
to  his  mental  ability  and  moral  force. 

In  the  manufacture  of  ornamental  articles,  an  inventive 
talent  and  superior  taste  are  requisite.  In  a  statistical 
report  we  read,  "The  manufacturers  of  Paris  frequently 
direct,  and  suffer  in  their  turn,  the  caprices  of  the  world, 
and  the  fashion  of  the  elegant  world.  The  workmen,  quick 
and  intelligent,  bend  themselves  with  a  marvelous  address 
to  all  the  changes  of  form,  and  a  constant  appropriateness 
of  things,  according  to  the  taste  of  the  buyer.  It  is  thus 
that  Parisian  industry  succeeds  in  obtaining  easy  sales,  first 
by  an  important  local  consumption,  and  afterwards  by  nu 
merous  forwardings  to  various  parts  of  France  and  foreign 
countries." 

In  London  there  are  trade  societies  which  make  laws 
relative  to  how  many  apprentices  may  be  taken  by  each 
employer,  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  an  injury  to  their 
trade  by  a  surplus  of  workers,  and  low  wages  arising  from 
competition.  And  when  a  man  has  been  long  in  business 
he  has  a  sort  of  tacit  permission  that  his  son  shall  continue 
the  business  when  he  retires,  or  ceases  to  be. 
4 


50  DIFFERENT   OCCUPATIONS. 


OCCUPATIONS    SUITED    TO    TASTES,    HABITS, 
AND  CAPACITIES. 

CONDITIONS  in  life  are  various,  yet  in  the  life  of 
\_J  each  one  are  intermingled  joy  and  sorrow,  care  and 
pleasure.  There  is  a  wonderful  accommodation  in  nature 
—  a  beautiful  adapteduess.  What  is  lost  in  one  way  is 
gained  in  another.  Nothing  is  wasted.  All  seems  directed 
by  a  wise  hand  to  fulfill  some  purpose.  Your  talents  may 
accomplish  great  results  in  one  occupation  ;  mine  may  be 
valueless  in  that,  but  equally  useful  in  another. 

Among  the  Egyptians  and  Spartans  every  male  member 
of  a  family  followed  the  calling  of  his  father. 

Dante  makes  Charles  Martel  to  say,  "  The  want  of  ob 
serving  their  natural  bent,  in  the  distribution  of  men  to 
their  several  offices  in  life,  is  the  occasion  of  much  disorder 
that  prevails  in  the  world." 

Physical  and  mental  abilities  should  do  much  in  deciding 
the  choice  of  an  occupation.  Some  people  are  best  suited 
to  a  sedentary  employment,  some  to  an  active  one,  some 
are  expert,  some  awkward,  some  strong,  some  weak,  some 
are  constitutionally  sound,  some  are  physically  defective. 
Of  course,  individuals  should  engage  in  employments  with 
which  any  infirmity,  or  defect,  will  not  interfere.  Some 
are  mentally  incapacitated.  A  merely  mechanical  occupa 
tion  is  best  for  them.  When  there  is  a  tendency  to  any 
constitutional  disease,  of  course  such'  employments  should 
be  avoided  as  would  tend  to  develop  or  hasten  that  disease. 
For  instance,  an  individual  with  weak  lungs  should  not 
engage  in  the  manufacture  of  paint,  or  the  business  of  a 
painter.  One  unable  to  stand  long  at  a  time  should  not 
act  in  the  capacity  of  a  salesman.  Sedentary  and  monoto 
nous  employments  are  apt  to  produce  morbid  sensitiveness, 


DIFFERENT  OCCUPATIONS.  51 

and  an  extremely  meditative  state  of  mind.  Therefore,  it 
would  not  be  well  for  those  inclined  to  melancholy,  and  in 
poor  health,  to  select  such  an  employment.  Those  occupa 
tions  requiring  skill,  taste,  and  patience,  and  not  much 
strength,  are  best  adapted  to  women. 

Some  people  are  gifted  with  a  much  keener  exercise  of 
one  sense  than  another,  and  this  sense  is  frequently  culti 
vated  to  the  neglect  of  the  others.  It  is.  therefore,  most 
fully  developed,  and  of  course  comes  most  readily  and  nat 
urally  into  action,  under  circumstances  where  one  of  the 
senses  could  as  well  be  operated  on  as  another.  One  in 
whom  the  auditory  nerve  is  particularly  sensitive  most  en 
joys  a  sweet  enchanting  voice,  or  a  delightful  strain  of 
instrumental  music.  To  another,  a  beautiful  scene  in  na 
ture,  a  charming  picture,  a  piece  of  statuary,  a  delighted 
audience,  or  something  of  the  kind  that  appeals  to  the  sense 
of  sight,  gives  a  greater  relish.  To  the  blind,  the  sense  of 
touch  yields  unfeigned  pleasure.  Blind  people  will  place 
their  hands  on  the  clothes,  and  even  the  faces  of  their 
friends,  and  delight  in  holding  their  hands,  and  so  manifest 
affection  in  a  way  that  the  conventionalities  of  society  pre 
clude  the  seeing.  This  more  than  ordinary  development 
of  any  one  sense,  should  be  taken  advantage  of  in  the  selec 
tion  of  a  pursuit  for  the  afflicted. 

Some  English  writer  on  municipal  government  says, 
"  Many  years  ago,  during  a  residence  in  Warrington,  at 
that  period  the  seat  of  a  number  of  branches  of  industry 
demanding  artistic  skill  —  as  the  manufacture  of  flint  glass, 
of  files,  and  of  all  kinds  of  tools  —  when  sitting,  one  night, 
by  the  fire  of  a  tool-maker,  I  was  struck  by  the  beauty  of 
the  small  files,  vises,  and  other  tools,  used  in  watch-mak 
ing.  Knowing  that  he  employed  apprentices,  I  asked  if 
he  found  that  they  had  all  the  steady  patience,  the  clearness 
of  sight,  and  delicacy  of  hand,  required  for  such  work,  to 
which  he  replied  that  not  half  attained  the  skill  to  qual 
ify  them  at  the  end  of  their  term  for  journeymen  ;  that  some 
gave  up  the  attempt  to  learn  the  branch,  and  went  to  an 
other  ;  that  others,  who  completed  their  apprenticeship,  if 
they  remained,  got  employment  only  when  trade  was  brisk ; 


52  DIFFERENT  OCCUPATIONS. 

when  it  was  slack,  they  were  the  first  to  be  discharged  ; 
whilst  others,  again,  became  laborers,  that  is,  served  the 
skillful  hands.  I  next  inquired  of  a  glass  manufacturer, 
himself  originally  a  workman,  what  proportion,  apprenticed 
to  the  flint-glass  making,  were  worth  the  retaining  as  jour 
neymen,  when  he  replied,  Out  of  ten  apprenticed,  not  three 
prove  good  hands ;  the  others  mostly  fall  to  the  lower 
branches,  as  tending  the  furnaces  and  like  ;  a  certain  num 
ber,  too,  are  retained  in  the  place  of  boys,  that  is,  as  the 
glass-blowers'  assistants  ;  but  when  fresh  apprenticed  lads 
are  taken,  or  when  trade  is  slack,  these  inferior  hands  are 
sure  to  be  dismissed  !  In  respect  to  glass-cutting,  he  said 
that  probably  not  half  the  apprentices  turn  out  expert ; 
that  they  drop  away  out  of  the  branch  ;  but  he  was  unable 
to  say  to  what  else  they  betook  themselves.  With  the  same 
object  I  continued,  in  subsequent  years,  to  inquire  of  master 
shoemakers,  tailors,  letter-press  printers,  bookbinders,  and 
of  masters  in  other  trades,  demanding  dexterity  and  skill, 
and  have  found  a  considerable  proportion  of  those  put  to 
acquire  such  branches  either  fail  to  do  so  arid  drop  lower, 
or  they  remain  in  them,  and  are  known  by  the  name  of 
lotchers.  In  this  way  the  descent  of  numbers  in  every  trade 
goes  on  continually,  and  shows  an  inequality  in  mankind  as 
to  talents  that  will  ever  baffle  the  hopes  of  those  enthusiastic 
reformers  who,  in  their  schemes,  or  rather  dreams  of  social 
improvement,  overlook  this  natural  diversity,  and  who  would 
regard  all  the  individuals  composing  the  laboring  class  as 
entitled  to  share  in  the  fruits  of  labor.  I  refer  to  the  nat 
ural  inequality  —  for  which  there  is  no  help  —  as  distin 
guished  from  culpable  inequality,  the  effect  of  evil  passions 
and  tempers,  which  generate  habits  injurious,  or  even  com 
pletely  obstructive  to  success  in  life." 

Mrs.  Jameson  says,  "  A  wisely-organized  system  of  work 
—  intellectual  and  moral  as  well  as  mechanical  work  — 
provides  for  this  natural  inequality,  and  does  not  place  hu 
man  beings  in  positions  which  they  are  naturally  unable  to 
fill  with  advantage  to  themselves  or  others  ;  and  that  would 
be  a  strange  law  which  should  oblige  a  master  manufacturer 
to  employ  botchers  in  the  place  of  skilled  workmen,  because 


DIFFERENT   OCCUPATIONS.  53 

they  present  themselves,  and   because  they  all  have  a  right 
to  live  by  their  work." 

Many  things  are  to  be  taken  into  consideration  by  a  care 
ful  parent  in  placing  a  daughter  out  to  learn  a  trade.  The 
character  and  standing  of  the  master  and  mistress,  their 
skill  in  business,  their  oversight  of  the  morals  of  those  in 
their  care,  should  all  be  known.  The  reputation  of  the 
apprentice  will  depend  much  upon  those  with  whom  she 
learns  a  trade.  The  character  and  conduct  of  the  appren 
tices  already  employed  is  an  item  to  be  considered.  The 
same,  and  many  more  things,  should  be  taken  into  consider 
ation  in  the  selection  of  a  vocation  for  daughters.  In  a 
trade  suited  to  a  woman's  taste  and  capacity  she  might  ac 
quire  a  position,  and  even  wealth,  that  she  never  could  in 
another. 

The  intellect,  education,  and  intelligence  of  women  en 
gaged  in  each  employment  probably  vary  as  much  as 
anTong  men,  in  the  same,  or  similar  occupations.  A  gen 
eral  impression  can  be  formed,  by  almost  any  one,  of  the 
average  grade  of  intellect,  and  amount  of  intelligence,  in 
each  department.  But  an  estimate  of  the  proportionate  dif 
ference  would  require  a  careful  investigation.  For  instance, 
the  majority  of  store  girls  have  more  refinement  and  intel 
ligence  than  factory  girls.  An  exception  should  be  made 
of  those  formerly  at  Lowell.  Those  engaged  in  teaching  are 
superior  to  both.  Among  seamstresses  there  is  a  greater  di 
versity,  descending  from  the  reduced  but  delicate,  refined  and 
cultivated  woman,  who  has  lost  property  and  relations,  to  the 
most  ignorant  and  stupid  specimens  of  humanity. 

A  girl  should  ascertain  as  nearly  as  she  can  for  what  her 
powers  and  talents  qualify  her.  Her  health  should  also 
go  far  in  deciding  what  she  may  undertake.  It  requires 
ingenuity  and  physical  strength  to  succeed  in  some  of  the 
industrial  branches.  In  the  country,  women  spend  more 
time  in  the  open  air  than  they  do  in  town.  They  rarely 
suffer  any  bad  effects  from  it — indeed  they  generally  have 
better  health. 

The  intelligence  of  most  American  women  calls  for  some 


54  DIFFERENT  OCCUPATIONS, 

employment  more  exalted  than  domestic  service,  or  factory 
labor.  Coarse  indeed  must  those  souls  be  that  would  doom 
women,  who  have  been  tenderly  raised,  and  carefully  edu 
cated,  to  the  menial  employments  that  become  the  hardy 
and  ignorant.  Tact,  taste,  and  organization,-  physical  and 
mental,  adapt  some  to  employments  unfit  for  others  ;  con 
sequently  some  wisdom  is  needed  in  the  selection  of  an 
occupation. 

The  poor  have  few  facilities  for  obtaining  information  ; 
but  if  the  advice  and  assistance  of  a  benevolent  and  judi 
cious  person  can  be  obtained,  it  will  greatly  facilitate  the 
advancement  and  interest  of  an  appi  entice,  or  even  of  a 
skilled  worker. 

I  have  heard  some  men  object  to  certain  occupations  as 
being  too  fatiguing  for  women,  when  they  knew  that  hun 
dreds  and  thousands  of  women  —  white  women  —  were 
performing  labor  that  was  ten  times  more  laborious  and 
detrimental  to  health.  In  such  cases  they  were  generally 
actuated  by  some  selfish  or  interested  motive. 

A  lady  once  remarked  to  me  she  did  not  see  why  daugh 
ters  might  not  inherit  any  peculiar  talent  as  well  as  sons  ; 
if  so,  why  a  woman  might  not  be  an  architect,  sculptor,  &c., 
as  well  as  her  brother.  The  cases  are  numerous  in  which 
such  talent  has  been  manifested  and  creditably  developed. 

In  many  of  the  mechanical  arts  women  could  be  advan 
tageously  employed.  In  some  of  these  arts  perhaps  a  part 
of  the  labor  would  require  great  physical  strength,  but  the 
lighter  parts  could  easily  be  done  by  them.  In  some  the 
entire  work  could  be  performed  by  them. 

The  majority  of  men  as  well  as  women  are  forced  into 
business  habits  by  necessity.  These  habits  become  a  part 
of  the  every-day  existence  of  an  individual.  From  this 
cause,  and  from  the  excitement  attending  business,  a  fond 
ness  for  it  is  acquired  by  some  people.  An  individual  will 
succeed  best  in  the  business  he  likes. 

The  greater  the  number  of  occupations  in  a  community 
the  wider  the  field  for  talent,  ingenuity,  and  exertion,  and 
the  less  danger  is  there  of  too  great  competition  in  any  one 
branch. 


EFFECTS  OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  HEALTH.        55 


EFFECTS   OF   OCCUPATIONS   ON   HEALTH. 

MEN,  in  most  branches  of  labor  are  paid  such  prices, 
that  when  their  health  fails,  they  have  something  left 
of  their  wages,  to  keep  them  from  starvation.  Women 
receive  barely  enough  to  keep  them  alive  while  at  work. 
They  are  constitutionally  weaker,  and  liable  to  fall  sooner 
as  victims  to  their  occupations.  What  are  they  to  do  when 
their  health  fails,  or  old  age  creeps  on?  Years  of  suffering, 
and  inability  to  work,  are  embittered  by  the  thought  that  they 
have  labored  as  hard,  and  as  long,  as  their  health  would  per 
mit,  but  their  wages  were  so  inadequate  that  they  could  not 
lay  by  for  a  time  of  need.  How  great  the  odium  that  should 
attach  to  employers  who  pay  their  women  a  niggardly 
pittance  ! 

In  making  investigations  on  the  matter  of  health,  as  influ 
enced  by  occupations,  some  employers  will  not  admit  their 
occupation  is  unhealthy,  although  it  is  universally  known 
outside  of  the  occupation.  Some  are  not  sufficiently  ac 
quainted  with  the  results  on  the  health  to  give  any  definite 
intelligence,  or  make  statements,  the  truth  of  which  they 
have  never  tested.  Many  work-people  have  never  thought 
of  the  subject,  and  would  be  reluctant  to  acknowledge  their 
employment  was  unhealthy,  even  if  they  knew  it  to  be  so. 
Their  statements  are  more  likely  to  be  what  they  feel  than 
what  they  think. 

Almost  every  occupation  is  more  or  less  injurious  to 
health.  Says  a  writer  in  the  "  North  American  Review," 
(52-31,)  "There  is  no  trade,  as  Mr.  Bain  well  suggests, 
which  might  not  be  iDJurio  is  to  persons  subject  to  one  kind 
of  weakness  or  another.  A  physician  might,  if  so  disposed, 
get  up  a  case  against  any  employment  of  civilized  life  suffi- 


56        EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS   ON  HEALTH. 

cient  to  excite  public  sympathy  and  abhorrence  ;  but,  so 
long  as  men  cannot  live  without  working,  they  must  work 
in  spite  of  inconveniences.  The  labor  of  a  factory  operative 
is  much  less  arduous  than  that  of  the  smith  ;  less  prejudicial 
to  the  lungs,  the  spine,  and  the  limbs,  than  that  of  the  shoe 
maker  and  the  tailor.  Yet  most  travelers  are  struck  by 
the  lowness  of  stature,  the  leanness  and  the  paleness  which 
present  themselves  so  commonly  to  the  eye  at  Manchester, 
England,  and  above  all,  among  the  factory  operatives."  The 
problem  is  partially  solved  by  "  Dr.  Hawkins,  who  noticed 
with  surprise  and  regret  the  total  absence  of  public  gardens, 
parks,  and  walks  at  Manchester." 

Colliers,  miners,  forgemen,  cutters,  machine-makers,  ma 
sons,  bakers,  corn-millers,  painters,  plumbers,  letter-press 
printers,  potters,  and  many  other  classes  of  artisans,  and 
laborers,  have  employments  which,  in  one  way  or  another, 
are  more  inimical  to  health  and  longevity  than  the  labor  of 
cotton  mills.  Some  classes  of  professional  men,  as  teachers, 
lawyers,  and  clergymen  ;  with  students,  clerks  in  counting- 
houses,  shopkeepers,  seamstresses,  &c.,  are  subject  to  as 
great,  and,  in  many  cases,  to  much  greater  confinement  and 
exhaustion  than  the  mill  operatives. 

Of  the  answers  made  to  questions,  by  Factory  Commis 
sioners,  to  the  medical  men,  appointed  by  the  Parliament  of 
Great  Britain,  to  investigate  the  diseases  and  accidents  to 
which  factory  children  are  particularly  liable  ;  "  the  ma 
jority  state,  that  they  are  not  subject  to  any  particular  dis 
ease,  but  are  liable  to  accidents  from  machinery.  Sev 
eral  were  of  opinion  that  children  are  subject  to  swelled 
ankles,  from  long  standing,  and  in  some  cases,  to  distortion 
of  the  knee-joint ;  and  that  a  scrofulous  or  consumptive 
tendency  is  increased  by  their  occupation."  Asthma  is  not 
an  uncommon  disease  with  factory  operatives.  The  loss  of 
color  and  vitality,  in  the  children  that  work  in  factories,  is  a 
sad  and  striking  feature.  Four  out  of  five  of  those  em 
ployed  in  English  factories  in  1833  died  before  reaching  the 
age  of  twenty.  When  an  operative  loses  his  health  he  gen 
erally  changes  his  employment,  and  the  morbid  action 


EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS   ON  HEALTH.        57 

produced  in  the  first  often  terminates  fatally  in  the  second. 
For  instance,  "  A  young  female  leaves  a  dusty  employment 
on  account  of  the  distress  which  she  feels  in  respiration  — 
the  bronchitis,  which  this  occupation  has  produced.  She 
tries  another,  which  is  comparatively  innoxious  ;  still  her 
cough  continues,  and  she  declines  in  flesh  and  strength. 
Unable  at  length  to  follow  any  regular  employment,  she  is 
received  in  the  house  of  some  relative  in  the  country,  where 
finally  she  dies  of  consumption.  Her  death,  of  course, 
never  enters  the  mill-book  of  her  first  employer.  Cases  of 
this  kind  are  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  sufficiently  explain 
the  low  ratio  of  mortality  which  appears  to  take  place  in 
baneful  employments."  The  noisy  and  exciting  labor  of  a 
manufactory,  with  the  physical  diseases  apt  to  be  engen 
dered,  more  generally  brings  about  dissipation  than  the  quiet 
out-door  life  of  agriculturists.  The  lack  of  education  and 
self-control,  with  the  fluctuations  to  which  their  business  is 
subject,  tends  to  make  operatives  impulsive,  and  in  times  of 
scarcity  and  discontent,  their  movements  are  often  of  a  des 
perate  and  daring  character.  Added  to  this  is  the  unnatural 
excitement  induced  by  a  residence  among  a  great  many 
people. 

\It  is  injurious  for  a  woman  to  labor  long  in  one  position. 
If  she  stands  a  great  deal  it  will  bring  on  disease.  A  large 
number  of  shop  girls  of  Philadelphia  are  suffering  from 
disease  so  induced,  together  with  the  result  of  tight  clothes, 
and  their  pressure  about  the  hips.  And  here  I  would  take 
occasion  to  say,  credit  is  due  the  late  Mr.  Levy,  of  Phila 
delphia,  for  the  change  he  wrought  in  the  condition  of  shop 
girls.  Previous  to  his  introduction  of  the  system,  girls 
were  never  permitted  to  sit  down  while  behind  the  counter. 
If  a  person  sits  too  constantly  it  will  prevent  a  free  cir 
culation  of  blood,  and  a  healthy  digestion.  The  stooping 
posture  of  seamstresses,  and  many  engaged  in  mechanical 
pursuits,  is  apt  to  affect  the  digestive  organs,  impede  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  and  bring  about  consumption.  Per 
sons  engaged  in  occupations  that  require  them  to  sit  con 
stantly  should  keep  the  body  erect.  If  a  stooping  position 


58        EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS   ON  HEALTH. 

is  indulged,  the  spine  cannot  retain  its  strength.  The  lungs 
and  the  heart  ought  to  have  full  play,  for  restricted  respira 
tion,  we  all  know,  is  opposed  to  health.  The  whole  body 
should  be  moved  every  few  minutes,  and  the  head  thrown 
back  that  a  full  breath  of  air  may  be  imbibed.  The  work 
rooms  should  be  well  ventilated,  and  as  much  exercise  as 
possible  taken  in  the  open  air.  "  In  the  case  of  milliners 
and  dress-makers  in  the  London  Metropolitan  Unions  during 
the  year  1839,  as  shown  by  the  mortuary  register,  out  of 
fifty-two  deceased,  forty-one  only  had  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-five  ;  and  the  average  age,  of  thirty-three  who  had 
died  of  disease  of  the  lungs,  was  twenty-eight." 

Large  numbers  of  tailoresses  and  dress-makers  in  the 
United  States  die  from  consumption  —  victims  to  badly 
ventilated  rooms,  cramped  position,  straining  of  the  eyes, 
excess  of  gas-light  while  at  work  in  the  evening,  and  the 
severe  exercise  attending  a  protracted  running  of  sewing 
machines. 

Attending  most  sedentary  occupations,  there  is  a  depres 
sion  and  exhaustion  of  spirits,  produced  by  the  want  of  pure 
air,  of  out-door  exercise,  and  lack  of  variety  in  scenes,  ob 
jects,  and  faces.  The  mind  takes  a  peculiar  and  morbid 
turn.  Long  and  continued  sitting  renders  the  body  unheal 
thy,  and  soon  the  mind  follows  suit.  The  most  unhealthy 
and  exhausting  of  manual  occupations  engaged  in  by  men 
are  best  paid,  but  the  same  does  not  hold  true  of  woman's 
occupations. 

Says  Wendell  Phillips,  "  To-day,  if  you  will  go  with  me 
to  the  city  of  Brussels,  I  will  show  you  a  thousand  girls 
making  lace,  and  losing  their  eyes  in  four  years  of  the  labor  ; 
and  I  will  show  you  the  rest  of  those  lives  passed  in  the 
hospitals,  in  starvation,  or  in  prostitution." 

The  gas  and  vapors  generated  in  the  manufacture  of  some 
chemicals  are  very  deleterious,  and  consequently  the  health 
of  the  workman  suffers.  The  diseases  of  painters,  and  work 
ers  in  lead,  are  severe.  Paper-hangers,  from  inhaling  the 
aceto-arseuite  of  copper,  used  to  give  some  kinds  of  wall 
paper  a  brilliant  color,  are  frequently  suddenly  seized  with 


EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS   ON  HEALTH.        59 

mercurial  paralysis,  which  causes  them  to  lose  control  over 
their  muscles.  The  silverer  of  looking-glasses  suffers  as 
greatly,  and  in  the  same  way.  The  phosphoric  acid  used 
in  making  lucifer  matches  seriously  affects  the  bones  of  the 
jaw,  and  in  some  cases  the  jaw  has  been  eaten  away. 
Scavengers  are  liable  to  inflammation  of  the  eyes.  Stone 
cutters,  sculptors,  and  mill-stone  dressers  often  have  their 
eyes  injured  by  chips  of  the  materials;  and  glass-blowers, 
smelters,  &c.,  from  bright  light.  Many  other  occupations 
produce  disease  from  over-taxing  the  eyesight.  I  have  been 
told  that  china-painting  is  hurtful  to  the  eyes,  but  I  think  it 
cannot  be  seriously  injurious,  as  I  have  never  observed  dis 
eased  or  inflamed  eyes  among  china-painters.  Burnishing, 
I  think  it  most  likely,  is  trying  to  the  eyesight,  and  the  pres 
sure  of  the  working  tool  on  the  chest  may  be  injurious  to 
people  with  weak  lungs.  Engravers,  sewing  machine  opera 
tives,  and  those  who  read  or  write  a  great  deal,  are  liable 
to  inflammation  of  the  eye,  or  palsy  of  the  optic  nerve. 
Shoemakers  and  cobblers  suffer  from  the  continual  pressure 
of  the  last  upon  the  stomach.  The  extensor  muscles  of  the 
wrists  of  file-makers  often  become  paralyzed.  Dippers  in 
potteries,  from  inhaling  the  poison,  sometimes  become  raving 
maniacs.  In  one  class  of  occupations  the  skin  is  affected. 
The  miller  is  subject  to  an  eruption  produced  by  the  attacks 
of  the  meal  mite,  and  some  bakers  suffer  from  the  baker's 
itch,  and  the  grocer,  by  handling  sugar  much,  is  infected 
with  animalcule.  The  dry-grinders  of  cutlery  are  short 
lived,  arising  from  the  unhealthiuess  of  the  occupation. 
The  average  limit  of  life  with  them  is  twenty-nine  years. 
Miners  are  liable  to  diseases  of  the  chest.  They  suffer  from 
rheumatism,  and  distortion  of  the  body,  and  often  their  lungs 
after  death  are  found  to  resemble  lumps  of  coal  in  color 
and  hardness. 

Dealers  in  old  clothes,  and  rag-gatherers,  are  reported 
not  to  be  more  unhealthy  than  people  in  other  occupations. 
It  is  said  that  persons  living  at  or  near  gas-works  are 
remarkable  for  their  good  health.  "  Tradition  reports 
that  during  the  plague  in  London,  the  dustmen  were  the 
persons  who  carted  away  the  dead,  and  it  remains  a  fact 


60        EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS   ON  HEALTH. 

among  this  class  to  the  present  day  that  not  one  of  the 
men  died  of  the  plague,  even  during  its  greatest  ravages. 
In  Paris,  too,  it  is  well  known  that,  during  the  cholera 
of  1849,  the  quarter  of  Belleville,  where  the  night  soil 
and  refuse  of  the  city  is  deposited,  escaped  the  freest  from 
the  pestilence  ;  and  in  London  the  dustmen  boast  that, 
during  both  the  recent  visitations  of  the  cholera,  they  were 
altogether  exempt  from  the  disease." 

It  will  be  found,  on  inquiry,  that  the  majority  of  patients 
in  hygienic  institutes,  and  hospitals,  are  there  from  over  tax 
ation  of  body  or  mind  in  business,  from  pursuing  an  un 
healthy  occupation,  or  from  following  one  the  proceeds  of 
which  did  not  furnish  the  necessaries  of  life. 

The  causes  of  difference  in  the  longevity  of  a  class  of 
people,  aside  from  extrinsic  causes,  cannot  be  positively 
determined,  but  are  mostly  dependent  on  their  physical 
constitutions,  the  nature  of  their  soil  and  climate,  the  de 
gree  in  which  they  possess  the  comforts  of  life,  their  diet 
and  exercise,  freedom  from  anxiety  of  mind,  their  knowl 
edge  of  medicine,  and  their  occupations. 

The  ages  of  the  workmen  in  any  branch  of  trade  are  a 
general  indication  of  the  healthy,  or  prejudicial  nature  of 
it.  When  the  circumstances  are  favorable,  the  average 
duration  of  life  will  be  high  ;  when  otherwise,  low.  Health 
seems  to  be  a  matter  that  is  rarely  taken  into  consideration, 
and  made  to  influence  the  selection  of  an  occupation. 

Dr.  W.  thinks  a  man  has  best  health  in  that  occupation 
he  likes  most.  He  finds  farming  does  not  agree  with  him, 
although  raised  on  a  form  ;  but  his  present  calling,  as  ed 
itor,  does,  though  one  man  in  three  could  not  stand  it.  It 
is  because  he  likes  it. 

The  principal  circumstances  unfavorable  to  health  and 
longevity,  as  given  by  Mr.  Thackrah,  of  Leeds,  are  ;  excess 
or  deficiency  of  food,  bent  sitting  posture,  long  standing, 
great  muscular  effort  in  lifting  weights,  steam,  artificial 
heat,  impure  air,  dust,  and  gaseous  impurity  of  the  atmos 
phere,  anxiety  and  mental  application,  long  sitting  and  delay 
of  micturition,  compression  of  the  chest,  bending  of  the 
head  for  long  periods,  close  application  to  minute  objects, 


EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  HEALTH.        61 

as  in  watch  makers,  engravers,  tambour  workers,  and  dress 
makers  ;  poisonous  substances  acting  through  the  skin,  as 
lead,  printer's  type,  and  mercury,  or  on  the  eyes  or  ears, 
as  scarlet  color,  lime,  dust,  and  the  noise  of  machinery. 
Either  extreme  of  temperature  is  also  unfavorable  to  health. 

"Among  the  inconveniences  of  some  employments,  which 
are  not  prejudicial  to  health,  are,  rapid  changes  of  tempera 
ture,  moisture,  local  atmospheric  humidity,  and  many  of 
the  odors  arising  from  the  manufacture  of  vegetable  sub 
stances,  and  animal  effluvia." 

Pure  air,  sufficient  recreation,  out-door  exercise,  refresh 
ing  sleep,  with  nutritious  and  well-prepared  food,  taken  at 
regular  intervals,  will,  if  observed  by  those  engaged  in 
sedentary  pursuits,  prove  the  best  conclucers  to  health. 
Freedom  from  anxiety  is  also  an  important  promoter  of 
health  and  happiness.  The  increased  comfort  of  dwellings 
is  a  blessing  to  the  mass  of  people.  A  more  general  knowl 
edge  of  the  laws  of  health,  and  the  progress  of  medical 
science,  are  doing  much  to  promote  longevity. 

Cutter  states,  in  his  "  Physiology,"  that  a  certain  manufac 
turer  in  England  found  that  when  his  factories  were  well 
ventilated,  the  laborers  ate  more  heartily.  He  remarked 
to  some  person  he  could  not  afford  to  let  his  workmen 
breathe  pure  air. 

It  is  not  uncommon  in  some  trades  for  the  work-people 
to  take  holiday  on  Monday,  and  some  that  attend  do  their 
work  indifferently.  But  this  is  not  an  argument  against 
their  having  a  day  of  rest  now  and  then.  It  only  proves 
that  they  have  not  received  such  moral  instruction  and  ex 
ample  as  to  make  them  prize  their  privileges. 

Many  suggestions  for  the  prevention  of  disease  might  be 
offered.  Two  of  the  most  general  and  important  are  clean 
liness  and  ventilation.  In  certain  branches  of  labor,  a 
retention  of  the  beard  and  whiskers  by  men  is  found  advan- ' 
tageous.  By  the  use  of  voltaic  batteries  the  metal  can  now 
be  deposited  by  the  water-gilder  without  the  use  of  quick 
silver,  and  by  the  use  of  flues  for  carrying  off  floating  par 
ticles  of  metal.  Persons  working  in  chemicals,  unwhole 
some  effluvia,  &c.,  are  recommended  to  wear  over  the 


62        EFFECTS   OF  OCCUPATIONS    ON  HEALTH. 

mouth  a  respirator  enclosing  a  layer  of  charcoal.  An 
amorphous  phosphorus,  that  does  not  yield  phosphoric  acid, 
has  been  invented,  and  is  used  by  some  manufacturers  of 
lucifer  matches.  Oil  of  turpentine,  exposed  in  saucers  in 
factories,  will  also  serve  as  a  safeguard.  Those  liable  "to 
cutaneous  diseases  are  advised  to  smear  their  hands  with 
raw  mutton,  or  beef  suet,  and  then  rub  them  with  a  cloth 
to  fill  the  pores,  and  wipe  off  any  excess,  just  before  work 
ing  in  the  articles  that  cause  the  disease.  "Artisans,  whose 
eyes  are  endangered  by  superabundance  of  light,  are  in 
structed  to  use  glass  shades,  or  chimneys  tinted  with  a  very 
faint  blue.  Those  whose  eyes  are  exposed  to  injury  from 
chips,  or  particles  of  dust  and  grit,  are  advised  to  wear  gog 
gles  or  wire  gauze,  and  needlewomen  are  solicited  to  be 
careful  to  have  the  light  thrown  on  the  work,  not  on  the 
eye,  to  change  the  color  of  the  material  as  often  as  possi 
ble,  and  to  adopt  the  North  China  fashion  of  working  in 
rooms  hung  with  green,  and  having  green  blinds  and  cur 
tains  to  the  windows.  Mr.  Abraham  has  tendered  to  the 
dry  grinders  of  cutlery  a  magnetized  wire  gauze,  and  others 
have  constructed  for  him  a  fan  on  the  principle  of  winnow- 
ing-machines,  which  blows  the  dust  clean  away  through  a 
flue  in  connection  with  the  chimney.  M.  Bernot,  a  French 
man,  has  recently  invented  a  file-cutting  machine,  which,  it 
is  said,  will  execute  work  more  even  than  hand-work,  and 
thus  relieve  the  file-cutter  from  the  danger  of  losing  his 
hand  by  paralysis.  A  light  frame  of  copper  wire,  covered 
with  wire  gauze  of  large  mesh,  and  a  ply  of  thin  silk,  worn 
as  a  mask,  fitting  closely  around  the  chin,  but  standing  off 
from  the  mouth  and  nostrils,  will  enable  flax-dressers,  and 
workers  in  stone,  to  defy  the  dust,  and  at  the  same  time 
enable  any  one  to  go  through  the  dense  smoke  of  a  confla 
gration,  breathing  freely.  Shoemakers,  if  they  choose  to 
adopt  them,  can  no  doubt  procure  contrivances  by  the  aid 
of  which  they  can  pursue  their  occupation  standing,  and 
without  pressure  on  the  stomach  ;  and  tailors,  by  the  exer 
cise  of  a  little  ingenuity,  can  protect  themselves  from  th3 
dangers  which  attend  their  present  cramped  and  stooping 
posture." 


BODY,   MIND,   AND  MORALS.  63 


THE    EFFECTS    OF    OCCUPATIONS    ON    THE 
BODY,  MIND,  AND  MORALS. 

A   HABIT  of  submission  and  constraint,  united  with 
solitude,  strengthens  our  passions  and  increases  our 
evil  propensities. 

The  desire  of  possession  is  natural,  and,  when  properly 
regulated  and  modified,  profitable. 

The  value  of  knowledge  depends  on  the  uses  to  which  it 
is  appropriated.  I  have  seen  people  in  some  vocations 
whose  vanity  led  them  to  feel  the  vocation  was  beneath 
them,  and  consequently  they  performed  their  duties  care 
lessly,  and  without  zeal. 

An  absorbing  interest  in  business,  and  a  great  effort  to 
acquire  riches,  will  retard  the  cultivation  of  virtuous  habits 
and  benevolent  feelings. 

Both  physically  and  morally,  there  is  a  marked  distinc 
tion  in  the  workmen  of  unlike  occupations.  The  miners 
of  Great  Britain  differ  materially  from  the  agricultural 
population,  and  the  cotton  operatives  from  the  workers  in 
metals. 

"  As  an  example  of  the  mental  culture  of  the  collier 
children  in  the  neighborhood  of  Halifax,  the  sub-com 
missioner  states,  that  in  an  examination  of  two  hundred 
and  nineteen  children  and  young  persons  at  the  bottom  of 
one  of  the  coal  pits,  he  found  only  thirty-one  that  could 
read  an  easy  book,  not  more  than  fifteen  that  could  write 
their  names,  —  these  latter  having  received  instruction  at 
some  day  school  before  they  commenced  colliery  labor, — 
and  that  the  whole  of  the  remaining  number  were  incapa 
ble  of  connecting  two  syllables  together." 

There  is  more  crime  in  manufacturing  than  in  agricultu- 


64  BODY,    MIND,   AND  MORALS. 

ral  communities.  We  attribute  it  to  their  fierceness  and 
recklessness,  and  to  disease  engendered  by  the  occupation, 
and  the  irritability  produced  thereby.  In  Sheffield,  accord 
ing  to  Dr.  G-.  C.  Holland,  there  were,  in  1834,  711  beer 
and  public  houses  ;  in  1841  there  were  908,  of  which  some 
were  supported  solely  by  young  lads  and  girls,  who  thronged 
them  nightly.  These  youths  were  employed  mostly  in  the 
cutlery  manufactures.  Of  these  girls  Mr.  Home  writes, 
u  Their  appearance,  manners,  habits,  and  moral  natures 
(so  far  as  the  word  moral  can  be  applied  to  them)  are  in 
accordance  with  their  half-civilized  condition.  Constantly 
associating  with  ignorant  and  depraved  adults,  and  young 
persons  of  the  opposite  sex,  they  naturally  fall  into  all  their 
ways  ;  and  drink,  smoke,  swear,  throw  off  all  restraint  in 
word  and  act,  and  become  as  bad  as  a  man." 

Work-people  in  whose  occupations  employment  is  most 
uncertain  are  most  restless  and  reckless.  They  will  be 
more  energetic  and  productive,  but  less  reliable. 

"  The  artisans  in  the  well-paid  branches,"  says  Dr.  Hol 
land,  "  are  invariably  the  best  educated,  and  exhibit  in  their 
conduct  a  higher  tone  of  morality."  He  thinks  "  that  an 
exaggerated  degree  of  civilization,  or  intellectual  progress, 
is  inferred  from  the  ability  to  read  and  write.  It  is 
viewed  more  as  an  evidence  of  education  than  as  a  means 
toward  it." 

Some  people  think  women  are  unfitted  for  the  discharge 
of  home  duties  by  staying  in  stores  and  factories  a  few 
years.  I  do  not.  I  think  if  the  moral  associations  are 
good,  they  are  improved  in  some  ways.  The  mind  is  un 
doubtedly  strengthen; i,  the  wits  sharpened,  the  perceptions 
quickened.  I  have  heard  the  complaint  that  girls  acquire 
a  fondness  for  fine  dress  by  staying  in  stores.  I  think  such 
a  propensity  may  be  developed,  but  the  cases  are  rare  in 
which  it  is  created.  To  this  some  add  the  complaint  that 
store  girls  spend  everything  for  board  and  dress  —  never 
lay  by  a  cent.  I  think  the  majority  get,  in  ordinary  times, 
from  three  to  five  dollars  a  week.  If  they  pay  for  board 


BODY,    MIND,  AND  MORALS.  0)5 

and  clothes  out  of  that,  I  should  be  happy  to  know  how 
much  it  would  be  possible  to  lay  by  ? 

A  certain  lady  said  to  me,  u  It  is  women's  duty  to  labor 
for  heaven,  men's  for  earth.  No  lady  should  ever  have  to 
labor  for  a  living.  It  is  a  reflection  on  men.  It  is  a  dis 
grace  to  the  father,  husband,  brother,  and  sou  of  such  a 
lady.  I  would  not  like  to  see  women  labor  in  America  as 
they  do  iu  France.  It  would  make  men  lazy  —  they  are 
naturally  fond  of  physical  ease.  I  would  not  see  men 
driven  out  of  their  employments."  To  this  I  make  the 
rejoinder  :  I  would  like  to  see  men  driven  out  of  those 
employments  that  are  not  suited  to  their  physical  strength 
—  such  as  women  should  occupy.  The  lady  referred  to 
above,  thought  "  men  should  be  the  providers,  women  the 
distributors."  This  is  a  very  pretty  system,  and  might  do 
very  well  if  you  could  convince  men  that  it  is  right,  and 
induce  them  to  perform  their  part  in  carrying  it  out ;  that 
is,  provide  the  means  for  distribution. 
5 


C6   DOMESTIC,   SOCIAL,  AND  RELIGIOUS  NATURE. 


INFLUENCE  OF  OCCUPATIONS  ON  THE  DOMES 
TIC,  SOCIAL,  AND  RELIGIOUS  NATURE. 

T^O  render  ourselves  and  others  happier,  or  more  useful, 
seems  to  be  the  end  and  object  of  every  pursuit. 
Morally,  what  does  not  profit  will  hurt.  Our  tastes  and 
wishes  grow  refined,  or  coarse,  according  to  nature  and 
cultivation.  We  are  mentally  as  well  as  physically  de 
pendent.  Indifference  and  egotism  are  two  great  enemies 
of  every  improvement.  Our  occupations,  and  the  circum 
stances  and  associations  attending  them,  go  far  toward 
forming  the  character.  In  the  possession  of  health,  and 
our  faculties,  we  have  a  good  capital.  The  difficulty  usually 
lies  in  not  knowing  how  to  make  a  profitable  use  of  it. 

There  is  a  constant  test  of  moral  character  in  the  strug 
gles  of  business  life.  Many  sad  and  disheartening  circum 
stances  are  connected  with  the  experience  of  us  all,  who  try 
to  faithfully  and  fully  perform  our  duties.  It  is  difficult,  in 
the  hurry  and  competition  of  business,  to  be  perfectly  cor 
rect,  and  study  the  interest  of  those  with  whom  we  have  to 
do  as  much  as  our  own.  It  requires  well-grounded  princi 
ples  of  right  and  honor,  and  considerable  force  of  character. 
On  the  other  hand,  a  struggle  in  business  life  has  its  good 
effects.  It  curbs  the  would-be  presumptive,  and  encourages 
the  timid  ;  it  makes  us  live  out  of  ourselves  ;  it  makes  us 
more  practical,  and  more  industrious,  and  gives  us  moral 
stamina.  Employment  gives  a  better  insight  into  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  others.  We  are  at  once  brought 
into  a  knowledge  of  that  which  most  interests  them  —  that 
on  which  their  very  existence  depends,  and  often  the  exist 
ence  of  others.  We  enter  into  closer  connection  with  their 
hopes  and  fears,  joys  and  sorrows,  their  plans  and  aims. 


DOMESTIC,  SOCIAL,  AND  RELIGIOUS  NATURE.   67 

It  would  be  interesting  to  study  the  effects  of  occupations 
on  the  disposition  —  to  learn  whether  a  person  is  rendered 
by  his  occupation  amiable  or  peevish,  gay  or  grave,  obliging 
or  disobliging,  confiding  or  suspicious,  harsh  or  gentle, 
brave  or  cowardly,  manly  or  effeminate. 

Closely  connected  with  this  is  an  inquiry  into  the  effects 
on  the  moral  nature  —  if  one  is  rendered  honest  or  dishon 
est,  idle  or  industrious,  sober  or  drunken,  profane  or  rever 
ent,  just  or  unjust,  cruel  or  humane,  generous  or  penurious, 
truthful  or  false  ;  what  desires  are  created  or  increased  — 
whether  for  wealth,  fame,  position,  and  power,  or  a  state 
of  quiet,  unobtrusive  retirement. 

Also  on  the  social  nature  —  whether  a  man,  by  intercourse 
in  his  business  with  ladies  superior  to  his  wife,  loves  and 
appreciates  her  as  well,  or  vice  versa  ;  or  whether,  by  daily 
seeing  a  large  number  of  ladies,  he  ceases  to  feel  an  interest 
in  all,  or  whether,  by  the  rarity  of  having  business  inter 
course  with  any,  he  ceases  to  feel  an  interest  in  any  and 
all  ;  whether,  by  intercourse  with  both  sexes,  as  in  a  store, 
he  feels  a  greater  or  less  interest  in  his  race,  or  more  in  one 
sex  and  less  in  the  other ;  whether  it  inclines  one  to  seek 
society  or  to  shun  it,  to  love  it  or  to  hate  it,  to  be  communi 
cative  or  silent,  to  be  agreeable  or  disagreeable,  to  be  affec 
tionate  or  misanthropic,  charitable  or  uncharitable,  modest 
or  immodest ;  whether  a  firm  friend  or  a  fickle  one,  false  or 
true,  forbearing  or  vindictive,  kind  or  censorious. 

It  runs  also  into  the  home  life.  The  inquiry  arises 
whether  a  man,  as  the  result  of  his  occupation,  likes  his 
family  more  or  less  ;  whether  he  desires  a  quiet  life  in  a 
home  of  his  own,  or  the  more  exciting  one  of  a  boarding- 
house  or  hotel ;  whether  he  endeavors  to  render  his  home 
agreeable  or  disagreeable  —  in  short,  whether  a  man  is 
made  a  better  husband,  father,  and  master  by  his  occupa 
tion,  or  a  worse  one. 

Manners  are  another  modification.  The  occupation  may 
tend  to  render  an  individual  rude  or  courteous,  coarse  or 
refined.  Even  a  man's  language  is  not  merely  interspersed 
with  technicalities  among  his  craft,  but  rendered  by  his 


68     DOMESTIC,   SOCIAL,  AND  RELIGIOUS  NATURE. 

occupation  crude  or  polished,  pointed  or  blunt,  rough  or 
smooth,  negligent  or  choice,  vulgar  or  chaste,  prudish  or 
loose,  appropriate  or  inappropriate. 

Not  less  interesting  would  it  be  to  learn  the  effect  of 
occupations  on  the  intellect  —  whether  it  is  strengthened  or 
weakened  ;  whether  the  faculties  are  sharpened  or  blunted  ; 
also,  which  faculty  is  most  exercised,  whether  imagination, 
memory,  reason,  &c.  ;  also  the  character  of  mind  required 
lor  each  —  whether  is  most  desirable,  a  clear,  logical,  or  a 
quick,  impulsive  style  of  mind  ;  whether  a  concentrated  and 
consecutive  train  of  thought,  or  merely  a  good  memory  ; 
whether  a  high  idea  of  intellect  is  required,  or  whether  a 
medium  one,,  or  even  if  a  very  ordinary  mind  would  answer  ; 
whether  much  cultivation  of  mind  is  required  ;  if  so,  the 
nature  of  that  cultivation  —  whether  it  be  a  particular  or  a 
general  cultivation  ;  whether  it  promotes  thought  or  checks 
it  ;  whether  it  gives  a  right  direction  or  perverts  it ;  whether 
the  train  of  thought  induced  is  important  or  trivial,  exalted 
or  groveling  ;  whether  encouraging  hope,  or  producing  de 
pression  of  spirits,  running  into  despair,  and  even  madness  ; 
also,  whether  a  feeling  of  trust  or  terror  is  induced,  of 
caution  or  recklessness.  The  aims  and  aspirations  are  to 
a  great  extent  formed  and  directed  by  the  occupations. 

The  effect  on  the  religious  nature  might  also  be  consid 
ered —  whether  a  person  is  made  credulous  or  skeptical, 
reverent  or  irreverent,  exalted  or  debased,  with  high  hopes 
of  a  better  world,  or  despair  of  reaching  such  a  world  ; 
whether  more  or  less  fond  of  religious  duties  ;  whether  in 
clining  to  be  speculative  or  practical,  to  consider  God  all 
merciful  or  all  just,  as  a  God  of  love  or  a  God  of  auger,  or 
blending  the  qualities  in  his  all-glorious  majesty. 

We  find  human  character  is  very  much  the  result  of  edu 
cation,  disposition,  and  circumstances.  Added  to  these,  as 
we  have  mentioned,  are  the  effects  of  occupations,  the  sub 
ject  embracing  in  its  range  not  merely  mental,  moral,  and 
social,  but  to  some  extent  political  science.  It  would  be  a 
theme  sufficiently  fruitful  for  a  large  volume. 


PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS.  69 


PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS. 

THE  manners,  language,  characters,  and  dispositions 
of  people,  are  very  much  influenced  by  their  business 
pursuits.  Their  tastes,  habits,  and  appearance  are  also  in 
fluenced  in  the  same  way.  A  close  observer  knows  that  a 
tailor  is  usually  bow-legged,  a  farmer  pigeon-toed,  a  scholar 
stoops,  a  sailor  reels,  a  blacksmith  has  large,  brawny  arms, 
and  a  weaver  small  legs,  while  an  orator,  and  an  auctioneer, 
are  each  noted  for  large  mouths. 

The  character  of  mind  is  as  distinct  in  most  men  as  the 
features.  So  the  particular  work  in  which  one  kind  of 
mind  might  excel  would  not  be  at  all  adapted  to  one  of  a 
different  style.  Much  of  the  success,  attending  all  kinds 
of  labor,  arises  from  the  application  of  mind  to  that  labor. 

The  comparative  morality  and  intelligence  of  those  en 
gaged  in  different  occupations  is  a  study  of  much  interest. 
It  is  said  that  every  body  has  a  mania,  and  that,  with  most 
people,  I  am  confident,  is  their  occupation.  On  meeting 
with  a  milliner,  if  you  could  read  her  thoughts  you  would 
probably  find  they  are  a  comment  on  your  bonnet ;  if  a 
dress-maker,  that  her  thoughts  are  running  on  the  fit  of 
your  dress ;  if  a  great  reader,  you  will  find  books  the  nat 
ural  topic  ;  if  a  teacher,  the  training  of  the  rising  genera 
tion  will  be  an  absorbing  theme.  If  you  are  much  in  the 
society  of  a  wood-engraver,  outline,  expression,  lights  and 
shades,  will  run  as  naturally  into  the  conversation  as  dawn 
into  daylight.  The  low,  quiet  tone  of  voice  usual  to  a 
nurse  for  the  sick,  is  noticeable  to  a  close  observer.  Most 
policemen  are  noted  for  their  silent  vigilance,  and  clergy 
men  for  their  sociability.  Coarse  work  has  its  influence  oil 
the  speech,  actions,  and  manners  of  an  individual.  Yet 


70  PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS. 

the  measure  of  one's  inward  nature,  by  the  occupation,  is 
not  altogether  a  true  gauge.  Women's  pursuits  are  more 
unvaried  than  men's.  For  instance,  very  few  women,  ex 
cept  those  who  make  wearing  apparel,  ever  undertake  the 
entire  fabrication  of  an  article.  However,  the  same  may 
be  said  of  most  men. 

"  We  will  say  a  few  words  on  occupations  characterized 
by  fluctuation,  competition,  and  pushing.  Although  these 
are  the  least  eligible  for  women,  it  is  a  strange  fact,  for  the 
most  part,  that  occupations  at  present  open  to  them  fall 
under  the  category.  Millinery  and  other  branches  of  trade 
conducted  by  women,  are  subject  to  the  same,  if  not  keener 
competition  than  branches  of  trade  conducted  by  the  other 
sex;  the  letting  of  lodgings  is  precarious  and  fluctuating; 
and  what  position  involves  more  anxiety  and  turmoil  than 
that  of  a  mistress  of  a  boarding-school  ?  What  less  securi 
ty  than  that  of  an  artist,  or  a  contributor  to  the  press?  The 
competition  and  pushing  of  a  certain  class  of  tradesmen, 
mercantile  traveling,  and  the  incessant  puffing  of  quack 
shops,  have  so  filled  the  public  eye  that  it  is  forgotten  that 
the  mass  of  business  is  conducted  quietly  and  unobtrusively  ; 
is  such  as  might  be  undertaken  by  woman  with  ease  to  her 
self,  and  without  offense  to  others." 

The  suspicion  required  to  be  a  good  lawyer  —  to  detect 
the  motives  of  the  accused  —  and  to  trace  crime  from  its 
cause  to  its  effect,  must  be  morally  injurious  to  the  pos 
sessor.  I  know  no  class  of  educated  men  whose  brains 
to  me  seem  so  full  of  cobwebs  as  those  of  lawyers.  Their 
ideas  are  misty  and  undefined,  and  they  express  themselves 
in  a  vague,  indefinite  way.  They  rarely  talk  to  the  point, 
or  answer  a  question  plainly. 

"  The  fact  that  the  practice  of  medicine  draws  its  sup 
port  from  the  miseries  and  sufferings  of  the  world  is  no 
objection  to  its  respectability.  What  profession  is  there 
that  does  not  draw  its  support  from  some  suffering,  neces 
sity,  or  disability,  unless  it  be  that  of  the  mountebank?" 

Mrs.  Gaskell  mentions  that  an  acuteness  and  intelligence 
of  countenance  has  often  been  noticed  in  a  manufacturing 


PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS.  71 

population.  A  restless  and  migratory  spirit  is  said  to  be 
one  of  their  peculiar  characteristics.  The  brightness  and 
freshness  of  complexion  in  the  middle  and  higher  classes 
of  the  English  is  lost  to  the  factory  operatives,  owing  to  their 
early  and  close  confinement  to  labor. 

Most  map-colorers  are  gay  and  cheerful  in  their  disposi 
tion.  They  are  fond  of  dress,  and  frequently  exhibit  much 
taste  in  the  selection  of  colors.  In  lithography  the  draughts 
man  is  almost  invariably  sober,  the  pressmen  too  often  given 
to  drink. 

I  think  the  selling  of  eatables,  and  the  preparation  of 
them,  have  a  tendency  to  render  people,  so  engaged,  very 
material.  "  From  what  I  could  learn,"  says  Mayhew,  "  it 
seems  to  me  that  an  inordinate  or  extravagant  indulgence 
of  the  palate,  under  any  circumstances,  is  far  less  common 
among  the  female  than  the  male  sellers  in  London." 

I  believe  it  will  be  found  that  nearly  all  persons  engaged 
in  driving  horses,  such  as  cabmen,  stage-coach  drivers,  &c., 
are  peculiarly  partial  to  intoxicating  drinks.  The  carriers 
of  London,  who  buy  at  slaughter-houses  the  meat  of  dead 
horses,  and  sell  it  for  cats  and  dogs,  are  mostly  drinking  men. 
They  walk  from  forty  to  fifty  miles  a  day. 

The  minds  of  the  bone-grubbers  and  mud-larks  exhibit  a 
vacancy  that  does  not  arise  from  any  natural  or  inherited 
defect. 

Most  men  engaged  in  manual  labor  have  broad  shoulders, 
thick  bodies,  and  strong  arms.  Irish  women  engaged  in 
the  drudgery  of  housework,  or  agricultural  labor,  are  usu 
ally  very  hard  workers. 

"  The  effect  of  early  and  severe  labor  in  coal  mines  is  to 
cause  a  peculiar  and  extraordinary  degree  of  muscular  de 
velopment  in  collier  children  ;  it  also  stunts  their  growth, 
and  produces  a  proportionate  diminution  of  stature.  Labor 
in  coal  mines  is  also  stated,  by  a  great  number  of  most 
respectable  witnesses,  to  produce  a  crippled  gait,  and  a 
curvature  of  the  spinal  column,  as  well  as  a  variety  of  dis 
orders  —  among  which  may  be  enumerated  affections  of  the 
head,  rupture,  asthma,  rheumatism,  and  loss  of  appetite ; 


72  PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS. 

and  this  not  merely  in  a  few  cases,  but  as  an  habitual  and 
almost  inevitable  result  of  their  occupation." 

Out-door  employments  are  conducive  to  long  life.  Two 
bird-catchers  over  seventy  years  of  age  died  in  1852,  in 
England,  who  had  been  at  the  business  since  six  years 
of  age. 

In  the  classification  of  occupations,  in  an  abstract  of  the 
British  census,  the  tenth  class  is  devoted  to  persons  engaged 
about  animals.  "  This  tenth  class,"  says  the  compiler,  "  is 
altogether  a  peculiar  race  of  men  ;  silent,  circumspective, 
prompt,  agile,  dexterous,  enduring,  danger-defying  men  gen 
erally,  but  modified  variously  by  the  classes  of  animals 
which  occupy  them."  Mayhew  treats  of  the  subject  more 
fully  as  follows  :  "The  fondness  of  a  whole  body  of  artifi 
cers  for  any  particular  bird,  animal,  or  flower,  is  remark 
able.  No  better  instance  need  be  cited  than  that  of  the 
Spitalfield  weavers.  In  the  days  of  their  prosperity  they 
were  the  cultivators  of  choice  tulips  ;  afterward,  though  not 
in  so  full  a  degree,  of  dahlias  ;  and  their  pigeons  were  the 
best  flyers  in  England.  It  is  curious  to  remark  the  refining 
qualities  of  particular  trades.  I  do  not  remember  seeing 
a  bull-dog  in  the  possession  of  any  of  the  Spitalfield  silk 
weavers  ;  with  them  all  was  flowers  and  birds.  The  same 
I  observed  with  tailors  and  other  kindred  occupations. 
With  slaughterers,  however,  and  drovers  and  Billingsgate- 
men  and  coachmen  and  cabmen,  whose  callings  naturally 
tend  to  blunt  the  sympathy  with  suffering,  the  gentler  tastes 
are  comparatively  unknown.  The  dogs  are  almost  all  of 
the  'varmint'  kind,  kept  either  for  rat-killing,  fighting,  or 
else  for  their  ugliness.  For  pet  or  fancy  dogs  they  have  no 
feeling,  and  in  singing  birds  they  find  little  or  no  delight. 
The  bird-catchers  have  quietness  of  speech  and  manner, 
which  might  surprise  those  who  do  not  know  that  any  pur 
suit  which  entails  frequent  silence,  watchfulness,  and  soli 
tude  forms  such  manners."  In  London  most  barbers  rear 
canary  birds. 

"In  comparing,  indeed,  the  different  branches  of  the 
same  trade,  as  the  several  divisions  of  grinding,  we  observe 


PECULIARITIES   OF  EMPLOYMENTS.  73 

the  strictest  correspondence  between  intelligence  and  the 
duration  of  life  ;  and  the  higher  and  more  steady  the  remu 
neration,  the  more  independent,  moral,  and  respectable  are 
the  individuals.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  but  it  is,  nevertheless, 
indisputable,  that  the  more  destructive  any  of  the  various 
departments  of  grinding,  the  lower  the  morals  and  the  remu 
neration  of  the  workmen.  The  wet  grinders,  as  a  body, 
are  greatly  superior  to  the  dry  in  education  and  pecuniary 
circumstances." 

"  Let  any  one  enumerate  the  various  modes  in  which  men 
obtain  their  subsistence,  and  he  will  immediately  perceive 
that,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  they  are  chiefly  mechani 
cal  processes,  or  such  as  easily  become  so.  In  the  case  of 
the  whole  laboring  population,  there  can  be  little  doubt  of 
the  matter ;  but  in  many  cases  the  work  of  a  mechanic 
requires  far  more  ingenuity  than  the  business  of  what  are 
termed  the  better  classes.  That  of  a  clerk,  for  example, 
tasks  the  mind  less  than  that  of  almost  any  mechanic.  And 
a  merchant's  operations  are,  in  the  vast  majority  of  cases, 
matters  of  mere  routine.  The  greater  number  of  persons 
act  usually  in  the  capacity  of  subordinates,  and  the  superi 
ors  themselves,  for  their  part,  act  by  rule.  Law,  medicine, 
and  the  business  of  government  require,  it  is  true,  intellects 
of  the  most  commanding  order." 

No  doubt  the  same  occupation,  followed  one  generation 
after  another  by  a  family,  serves  to  keep  up  the  distinction 
of  rank  that  exists  in  old  countries. 

The  poor  sell  most  in  small  shops  with  open  fronts,  or 
out  of  doors,  as  is  evident  to  those  who  have  had  occasion 
to  pass  through  the  poorer  portions  of  a  city. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  in  most  large  cities,  streets  of 
any  importance  have  each  their  distinctive  features.  In 
New  York  city,  Wall  is  the  street  for  bankers,  Beekman 
for  stationery  and  envelopes,  Maiden  Lane  for  jewelry,  the 
lower  part  of  Broadway  for  fur  merchants  and  cap  manufac 
turers,  and  Nassau  for  second-hand  books  and  engravings. 


74  SELECTION  OF  AN  OCCUPATION. 


SELECTION   OF   AN   OCCUPATION. 

WHAT  a  mingling  of  good  and  evil,  light  and  dark 
ness,  there  is  in  this  world  !  The  events  of  our 
lives  seem  a  confused  medley,  and  we  scarcely  begin  to 
realize  any  particular  aim  in  our  being,  until,  by  physical 
disabilities,  we  are  partially  unfitted  for  its  accomplishment. 
And  so  it  is  in  the  business  world.  When  we  look  around 
and  consider  in  what  a  chaotic  mass  its  elements  are,  we 
are  tempted  to  ask  what  will  be  the  end  of  all  this?  Is 
there  to  be  no  more  definite  organization?  no  more  har 
mony  ? 

Some  one  has  said,  "  Our  trades,  professions,  and  serious 
pursuits  are  not  always  matter  of  choice  ;  nay,  they  are 
often  prosecuted  from  duty  or  necessity,  against  one's  own 
inclinations  ;  and  afford,  therefore,  no  certain  test  of  indi 
vidual  predilection."  This,  in  many  cases,  is  true.  Cir 
cumstances  do  much  to  decide  the  choice  of  a  pursuit,  or 
draw  us  into  one  without  a  choice.  Want  of  means,  state 
of  health,  influence  of  friends,  or  other  circumstances,  may 
proscribe  that  pursuit  to  which  our  inclinations  tend,  and  ill 
which  we  might  acquire  renown.  It  is  our  duty  (if  cir 
cumstances  will  permit),  to  select  that  employment  in  which 
we  shall  be  most  happy  and  useful  —  that  which  is  best 
suited  to  our  disposition  and  temper  of  mind.  For  what  is 
pleasant  to  one  is  disagreeable  to  another  —  what  is  rest  to 
one  is  labor  to  another. 

We  know  that  some  women  are  engaged  in  employments 
to  which  they  are  not  at  all  adapted.  But  a  comparatively 
small  number  of  women  engage  in  any  regular  employment, 
and  therefore  a  great  many  cannot,  of  course,  mistake  their 


SELECTION  OF  A3    OCCUPATION.  75 

profession.  We  know  also  that  many  men  are  engaged  in 
employments  to  which  they  are  not  at  all  adapted. 

If  women  pursue  the  higher  branches  of  industry,  it  will 
elevate  their  position  socially,  morally,  mentally,  and  phys 
ically.  They  will  have  a  greater  incentive  to  cultivate  their 
minds.  They  will  be  more  respected,  and  will  acquire 
something  like  the  independence  and  influence  of  men. 

The  kind  of  study,  the  nature  of  the  arts  and  sciences  to 
which  women  turn  with  most  pleasure,  and  have  the  great 
est  desire  to  excel  in,  depend  entirely  on  their  tempera 
ments,  and  the  early  direction  given  to  their  minds  and  tastes. 

Some  of  the  discoveries  in  the  arts  may  be  traced  back 
to  those  who  were  not  immediately  connected  in  business 
with  those  arts,  but  whose  leisure  moments  were  devoted  to 
the  study  of  them. 

As  girls  come  to  take  an  active  part  in  practical  pursuits, 
it  is  well  for  them  to  consider  their  iinances,  their  abilities, 
and  the  natural  bent  of  their  inclinations,  and  all  the  cir 
cumstances  to  be  considered  in  such  an  undertaking.  Or 
if  they  enter  a  business  that  does  not  please  them,  they  may 
perhaps  make  an  advantageous  change.  One  may  have  a 
strong  aversion  to  a  pursuit  to  which  another  is  strongly 
attached.  The  solitude  of  the  country  may  in  some  be  con 
ducive  to  the  growth  of  every  virtue,  and  all  the  better  feel 
ings  of  our  natures,  while  in  others  it  may  be  unfavorable 
to  the  growth  of  mind,  manners,  and  morals. 

Females,  as  well  as  males,  should  early  examine  with 
care,  and  pursue  with  ardor,  that  course  which  nature  and 
inclination  mark  out  for  their  peculiar  exertions.  If  some 
pursuit  is  determined  on,  it  should  always  be  kept  in  view 
and  all  the  energies  devoted  to  it,  for  as  we  cannot  excel 
in  many,  —  I  might  say  in  more  than  one,  —  it  is  better  to 
be  proficient  in  one  than  have  a  superficial  knowledge  of 
several.  The  selection  of  a  pursuit  is  a  matter  of  much 
importance,  and  should  not  be  made  without  proper  con 
sideration.  Much  of  the  future  happiness  and  welfare  of 
the  individual  will  depend  on  it.  Women  should  have  a 
larger  number  of  regular  and  permanent  occupations  opened 
to  them. 


76  SELECTION  OF  AN   OCCUPATION. 

As  the  views  of  the  populace  become  matured  and  refined, 
the  crude  and  unformed  state  of  the  mass  better  organized, 
the  capabilities  and  tastes  of  children  will  be  more  studied 
in  the  selection  of  pursuits  for  them.  A  knowledge  of  any 
one  that  is  honest  and  virtuous,  for  which  a  child  has  a 
preference,  should  be  cultivated.  The  professions  will  not 
then  be  so  crowded,  and  mechanical  genius  will  be  more 
encouraged  and  cultivated.  The  industrial  arts  will  be  in 
repute,  and  the  intelligent  direction  of  talent  be  more  re 
spected.  The  discipline  of  mind,  and  systematic  course  of 
action,  that  result  from  a  thorough  and  well-directed  educa 
tion,  will  assist  in  this  matter.  A  general  knowledge  of 
what  business  pursuits  are  prosecuted  must  be  acquired  to 
consider  one's  own  adaptedness,  and  make  a  selection,  or  to 
be  able  to  make  another  choice  in  case  of  failure.  A  deeper 
interest  is  felt  in  business  pursuits  as  a  knowledge  of  them 
is  increased. 

By  general  inquiry  of  the  number  that  could  probably  be 
sustained  in  any  one  business,  and  learning  the  number  al 
ready  in  it,  one  can  judge  whether  it  is  advisable  to  enter. 
To  learn  the  average  number  of  women  employed  in  any 
branch  of  business,  it  would  be  well  to  ascertain  the  max 
imum  in  a  certain  number  of  the  largest  establishments,  and 
the  maximum  in  as  many  of  the  smallest,  and  then  find  the 
average  of  the  two. 

Most  manual  employments  are  subject  to  fluctuations. 
They  are  generally  most  flourishing  in  spring  and  autumn. 
It  is  well  there  is  not  an  equal  amount  of  work  at  all  sea 
sons,  for  many  would  sink  under  it.  As  it  is,  they  are  en 
abled  to  recruit  some  during  slack  times  for  after  labor. 
Yet  the  wages  of  women  are  so  low  that  they  can  scarcely 
afford  to  lose  a  day's  time. 

u  Some  employments  do  not  promote  either  health  or  vir 
tue,  but  merely  afford  the  means  of  subsistence.  It  is  a 
well-ascertained  fact  that  those  occupations  which  are  the 
most  useful,  are  the  safest,  and  those  commodities  which 
can  least  be  dispensed  with,  pay,  in  the  aggregate,  the 
largest  profits.  The  demand  for  them  is  stimulated  by 


. 


SELECTION  OF  AN  OCCUPATION.  77 

actual  want,  and  grows  with  every  increase  of  the  means  of 
production." 

To  insure  success  a  profitable  direction  should  be  given 
to  labor.  Capital  and  labor  must  be  united  to  render  either 
most  productive. 

Common  sense,  health,  and  determination  to  learn,  are 
the  great  requisites  to  insure  success  in  any  undertaking. 
Some  think  women  never  succeed  in  those  employments  re 
quiring  concentration  of  thought,  and  refer  to  type-setters 
and  tailoresses  ;  but  the  inferiority,  I  think,  arises  from  the 
want  of  discipline  in  girls,  compared  with  that  of  boys,  who 
are  trained  from  their  early  years  .to  a  pursuit.  It  is 
thought  by  many  that  women  succeed  better  than  men  in 
those  occupations  requiring  rapidity  of  execution,  and  mere 
mechanical  labor  that  does  not  exact  much  physical  strength. 


78  JiUSINJSSS    QUALIFICATIONS. 


BUSINESS   QUALIFICATIONS. 

VERY  occupation  has  some  leading  essential  quality 
which  its  follower  must  have,  or  success  is  impossi 
ble.  The  great  cardinal  powers  of  business,  as  they  may  be 
called,  are  strength  —  ingenuity  —  good  address  —  and  strong 
nerve  or  enterprise.  Some  occupations  require  only  one  of 
these  essentials  with  other  qualities,  to  carry  them  on  with 
honor  and  success." 

A  knowledge  of  business,  promptness,  the  strictest  in 
tegrity,  close  application,  agreeable  manners,  an  obliging 
disposition,  and  strength  of  character,  with  a  steady,  vigor 
ous  course  of  action,  founded  on  right  principles,  will  usual 
ly  bring  success.  A  well-balanced  intellect  is,  of  course, 
essential. 

The  vicissitudes  that  frequently  occur  in  trade,  debar 
many  from  risking  their  all  in  undertaking  business  on  their 
own  responsibility.  Of  course  an  engagement  in  business 
should  not  be  attempted  without  proper  qualifications,  and 
some  experience.  Rent,  clerk's  hire  (if  necessary),  stock 
of  goods,  with  personal  expenses,  must  be  taken  into  con 
sideration.  Hope  and  caution,  prudence  and  forethought, 
are  needed  by  those  who  carry  on  business  for  themselves. 
It  is  well  to  secure,  as  friends,  people  of  morality,  educa 
tion,  intelligence,  refinement,  influence  and  wealth.  The 
misfortune  is,  the  worthy  poor  rarely  have  the  time,  op 
portunity,  and  means  of  making  friends. 

Every  kind  of  business  has  its  vexations.  Those  who 
would  succeed  must  remain  steady  in  their  pursuits.  A  per 
son  that  is  often  changing  from  one  enterprise  to  another 
seldom  becomes  an  adept  in  any. 

Women  need  to  give  their  minds  wholly  to  their  work. 


BUSINESS    QUALIFICATIONS.  79 

That  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  success,  and  one  in  which  men 
generally  greatly  exceed  women.  The  reason  of  men  being 
better  able  to  concentrate  their  minds  on  business  is,  their 
health  is  more  robust,  their  minds  more  free  from  care,  and 
they  more  certain  of  being  well  paid  for  their  labor. 

Of  course  the  grades  of  intellect,  and  degrees  of  intel 
ligence,  vary  greatly  in  the  different  employments.  If  work 
is°of  a  meditative  kind,  the  mind  should  be  given  entirely  to 
it.  But  relaxation  should  not  be  neglected.  Every  care, 
and  every  thought  of  business  should  then  be  thrown  aside. 
Much  will  be  gained  —  nothing  lost. 

The  most  active  women  are  usually  the  most  truly  and 
judiciously  kind.  Woman's  intelligence  is  increased,  her 
faculties  developed,  and  her  energies  brought  out  by  in 
dustrial  labor  that  causes  her  to  mingle  with  others.  It 
will  be  found  that  in  those  countries  where  women  are  most 
engaged  in  industrial  affairs  they  are  more  intelligent  than 
the  same  class  in  other  countries. 

One  of  the  largest  merchants  in  New  York,  who  employs 
several  women  in  his  store,  complains  that  he  cannot  find 
intelligent  girls,  or  he  would  employ  them  still  more  ex 
tensively.  If  he  advertises,  he  has  perhaps  fifty  applications 
in  the  course  of  the  morning,  but  not  more  than  one  or  two 
of  that  number  are  competent.  If  he  paid  better  prices  he 
could  probably  obtain  a  better  class  of  store  girls,  those  more 
intelligent  and  reliable. 

Says  Dr.  Elizabeth  Blackwell,  "  Women  are  the  first  in 
charities  in  all  nations.  They  are  sometimes  in  works  of 
charity  considered  troublesome  and  uncertain  allies,  but  it 
is  because  they  want  business  qualifications." 

Some  writer  has  said,  "  The  natural  gifts  of  mind  are 
bestowed  on  none  so  abundantly  as  to  supersede  the  neces 
sity  of  continued  mental  exertion."  The  general  principles 
of  business  may  be  acquired,  but  common  sense,  and  judg 
ment,  are  necessary  for  carrying  out  the  details. 

In  many  cases  two  or  three  women  might  form  a  partner 
ship  and  advantageously  engage  in  business  for  themselves. 
A  lady  said  to  me,  "  When  matters  are  righted,  and  wo- 


80  BUSINESS    QUALIFICATIONS. 

men  hold  the  position  they  should,  men  of  capital  will  be 
ready  to  take  women  of  business  qualifications  in  partner 
ship,  even  though  they  are  without  capital,  for  educated, 
shrewd  business  women  would  draw  them  custom.  A  wo 
man  must  have  nerve  and  intellect,"  added  she,  "  to  trans 
act  business  successfully," 

A  very  intelligent  workwoman  said  to  me,  "  Women 
will  find  it  necessary  to  hold  their  footing  with  men  in  busi 
ness  transactions,  for  the  majority  will  impose  on  women  if 
they  can,"  Jt  is  true.  And  what  is  meaner,  some  men  will 
impose  on  women,  that  would  not  venture  to  try  to  impose 
on  men,  for  fear  of  losing  their  reputation  as  correct  men. 
And  to  add  to  such  meanness,  some  men,  when  they  find 
they  cannot  impose  on  women,  for  fear  that  those  women 
may  expose  their  attempted  imposition,  immediately  say 
hard  things  of  them. 

Many  American  women  fail  in  business  from  the  want  of 
self-possession  and  self-reliance.  They  are  brought  up  too 
delicately,  and  to  think  work  is  a  disgrace.  With  the  in 
dustry,  enterprise,  and  intelligence,  of  a  majority  of  those  in 
Northern  States  much  may  be  accomplished.  Yet  even 
there,  a  large  number  of  men  are  becoming  effeminate  in 
their  manners,  feelings,  and  habits,  arising  from  their  self- 
indulgence,  and  feminine  occupations,  while  the  health  of  the 
women,  so  far  as  our  observation  and  inquiry  extend,  is  no 
better  than  that  of  women  that  have  been  reared  in  Slave 
States. 

In  thinking  over  some  of  the  most  enterprising  and  philan 
thropic  works  executed  by  women  during  the  last  fifty  years, 
I  find  the  majority  of  women  who  have  been  successful  in 
those  works  are  English.  It  led  me  to  think  of  the  supe 
riority  of  the  constitutions  of  the  English  to  Americans.  It 
enables  them  to  labor  more  constantly  and  more  continuous 
ly.  Some  of  the  women  referred  to  above  are  of  English 
birth,  but  now  reside  in  the  United  States.  I  think  emigra 
tion  does  much  to  develop  business  habits. 

In  no  country  do  women  of  all  classes  enter  as  much  into 
the  business  occupations  of  men  as  in  France. 


BUSINESS   QUALIFICATIONS,  81 

Says  a  writer  in  the  "  Monthly  Review,"  "  Among  the 
Slavonians  the  two  sexes  almost  exchange  their  peculiar 
natures.  The  Slavonian  man  is  generally  weaker  in  his 
power  of  conception,  in  will,  and  in  determining  the  will  by 
his  conceptions.  The  man  fully  receives  the  impulse,  in  all 
his  actions,  from  the  woman  ;  as  the  man  of  the  Germanic 
race  desires  to  give  it  to  the  actions  of  the  woman.  The 
Slavonian  women  possess  and  manage  their  own  property, 
as  soon  as  they  are  of  age,  in  all  respects  independently  of 
the  men.  I  have  seen  women  who  were  the  most  faithful 
wives,  the  fondest  and  teuderest  mothers,  manage  alone  a 
property  which  required  the  activity  and  circumspection  of 
men  ;  nay,  more,  bring  that  property  into  complete  order  ; 
and  I  have  heard  the  testimony  of  perfectly  impartial  men, 
whose  situation  qualified  them  to  deliver  an  opinion  on  the 
subject,  declare  that  they  had  managed  and  regulated  it 
with  astonishing  firmness,  penetration,  and  circumspection." 

Women  must  be  educated  to  industrious,  systematic,  busi 
ness  habits,  from  childhood,  as  men  are,  if  they  expect  to 
stand  on  a  footing  with  men  in  business  relations. 

A  trustworthy,  competent  business  woman,  if  she  can 
obtain  good  wages,  and  invest  her  savings  so  as  to  yield 
some  profit,  may  lay  by  for  times  of  slackness,  of  bad 
health,  and  old  age. 

Industry,  economy,  and  business  judgment,  are  essential 
to  the  increase  of  our  own  capital,  or  that  of  others  with 
which  we  are  intrusted. 

When  educated  women  enter  business  pursuits,  labor  will 
bo  respected  more  highly.  It  will  serve  to  bring  about  a 
closer  connection  between  the  sexes,  to  establish  a  warmer 
interest,  and  greater  congeniality.  It  will  strengthen  family 
ties.  It  will  stimulate  to  the  acquisition  of  fame,  or  fortune. 
Speculation  creates  a  stimulus  in  business  that  niay  enrich 
others  besides  the  speculator, 
6 


82          WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED. 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  JUSTLY   COMPENSATED 
—  AND    WHY. 


T^HE  value  of  labor  is  too  apt  to  be  estimated,  not  by  its 
usefulness,  and  the  good  it  may  bring,  but  by  the  rate 
at  which  it  may  be  obtained  —  by  the  necessities  of  the  labor 
ers.  Labor  should  be  estimated  by  the  amount  of  good  it 
does  in  supplying  the  necessities,  and  promoting  the  welfare 
of  mankind,  individually  and  collectively,  and  wages  should 
be  proportioned  thereto. 

As  business  is  now  done,  women's  self-respect  and  ambi 
tion  are  not  called  forth.  Consequently  women  employed 
to  work  are  more  idle  and  less  to  be  depended  on  —  they 
are  more  likely  to  take  advantage  of  an  employer's  time 
than  men.  But  if  they  had  the  same  number  of  hours  to 
work  that  men  have,  and  were  paid  according  to  their  in 
dustry  and  activity,  a  better  discipline  would  be  established. 
There  would  be  more  honor,  and  principle,  and  justice,  on 
both  sides. 

Tjiere  is  no  union  or  society  among  women  to  keep  up 
the  regular  standard  of  prices  —  so  the  majority  work  for 
what  they  can  get.  The  low  wages  of  female  labor  tend  to 
increase  the  feeling  of  dependence  in  a  woman,  and  tempt 
her  to  marry  merely  for  a  home. 

Many  events  are  tending  to  draw  attention  to  these  mat 
ters.  How  many  hundreds,  even  thousands,  of  virtuous 
and  worthy  girls  have  been  thrown  out  of  employment  by 
the  late  terrible  war  !  After  the  great  financial  revulsion 
of  1857,  many  were  rendered  homeless  and  helpless.  The 
"  New  York  Tribune,"  referring  to  them,  says,  "  It  is  esti 
mated  there  are  not  less  than  seven  thousand  ready  to  go 
West,  because  society  here  has  withdrawn  its  succor  from 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.          83 

them.  At  best  they  can  but  earn  a  pittance.  A  woman 
may  be  defined  to  be  a  creature  that  receives  half  price  for 
all  she  does,  and  pays  full  price  for  all  she  needs.  No  hotel 
or  boarding-house  here  (nor  elsewhere,  we  will  add)  takes 
a  woman  at  a  discount  of  fifty  per  cent.  Butcher,  baker, 
grocer,  mercer,  haberdasher,  all  ask  her  the  utmost  penny. 
No  omnibus  carries  her  for  half  price.  She  earns  as  a 
child  —  she  pays  as  a  man.  Besides,  her  sex,  if  not  bar 
barous  custom,  cuts  her  off  from  the  best  rewarded  colleges. 
Her  hands,  feet,  and  brain  are  clogged."  We  ask  our  read 
ers  to  pause  and  inquire  if  this  is  not  true. 

Men  have  not  reflected  enough  on  the  poor  compensation 
for  woman's  labor,  or  have  not  seen  exactly  how  to  remedy 
it.  It  is  a  relic  of  barbarous  ages  and  barbarous  nations. 
I  do  not  wish  to  reflect  on  my  countrymen.  I  know  that 
many  of  them  possess  kind  and  noble  hearts,  and,  some  of 
them,  would  like  to  see  justice  done  to  women. 

It  requires  just  as  much  to  support  a  woman  as  a  man. 
Her  dress  requires  more.  Often  infirm,  sick,  or  aged 
parents  are  relying  on  her  for  a  support,  or,  it  may  be, 
orphan  brothers  and  sisters.  Or,  even  if  it  were  not  so, 
a  woman  needs  to  lay  up  something  for  times  of  sickness, 
old  age,  and  want  of  employment,  as  well  as  a  man.  It  is 
far  more  difficult  for  women  to  gain  a  living  than  for  men. 
They  are  less  certain  of  finding  work,  and  when  they  do, 
are  worse  paid.  They  dearly  earn  what  they  get. 

Men  are  better  able  by  nature  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
Their  physical  constitution,  the  tendencies  of  their  educa 
tion,  their  preparation  for  some  definite  calling,  better  ena 
ble  them  to  do  so.  Yet  to  men  is  intrusted  the  making  of 
laws  to  regulate  labor.  And  well  they  use  that  power  to 
their  own  advantage,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  comparative 
compensation  of  man's  and  woman's  labor.  Might  is  right, 
seems  to  be  their  governing  principle.  Why  cannot  just  and 
correct  men,  in  our  State  legislatures,  take  the  matter  in 
hand  and  pass  laws  granting  woman  an  equal  compensation 
with  man  for  her  labor?  Which  of  our  legislatures  will  be 
the  pioneer  in  this  cause  of  humanity  ?  There  are  many  kind 


84  WO  MEW   LABOR   NOT  COMPENSATED. 

and  honorable^  and,  we  hope,  just  men  in  our  legislatures. 
May  they  take  action  on  this  subject  because  it  is  right,  and 
may  they  receive  the  good  opinion  they  deserve  from  their 
fair  countrywomen. 

A  German  gentleman  told  me  he  had  observed,  in  all 
countries  that  he  had  visited,  that  one  day's  labor  of  a  man 
will  pay  for  two  days'  living.  Would  that  I  could  say  the 
same  of  woman's  labor. 

The  proportion  ot*  women's  wages  to  men's  in  the  indus 
trial  branches  is  from  one  third  to  one  half.  The  difference 
is  somewhat  influenced  by  the  kind  of  work.  What  a  man 
would  receive  one  dollar  for,  a  woman  would  get  only 
from  sixteen  and  two  thirds  to  fifty  cents.  The  average  pro 
portion  is  from  one  third  to  one  half. 

The  principal  causes  of  the  difference  in  prices  paid,  are, 
the  large  number  of  women  dependent  on  their  labor  for  a 
livelihood,  and  the  small  number  of  employments  pursued 
by  women,  arising  from  prejudice,  opposition,  and  the  want 
of  training ;  also  the  nature  of  the  non-domestic  occupa 
tions  engaged  in  by  them,  they  being  mostly  of  a  kind  that 
can  be  dispensed  with. 

In  cotton  manufactories  women  are  better  rewarded  as 
weavers,  than  in  most  branches  of  industrial  labor.  Yet  in 
them  the  wages  are  very  seldom  more  than  half  that  of  men. 
In  woolen  manufactories  the  wages  of  females  are  still  bet 
ter,  though  the  weaving  is  more  laborious.  In  metal  manu 
factories  the  wages  of  women  run  from  one  sixth  to  one 
third  those  of  men. 

In  no  country  is  woman  justly  remunerated  for  her  labor. 
One  employer  told  me  the  principal  reason  for  women  not 
being  better  compensated  is,  they  do  not  become  so  profi 
cient  in  their  business  as  men  —  not  so  thorough  to  the  same 
extent.  But  he  well  knew  they  were  not  rewarded  in  pro 
portion  to  their  qualifications.  Another  employer  said, 
u  We  pay  men  better  because  they  can  regulate  the  ma 
chinery,  if  it  gets  out  of  order,  while  the  hands  are  at 
work."  Women  could  do  it,  too,  if  they  were  taught  how  ; 
and  I  would  advise  them  to  learn.  Yet  I  doubt  if  regulat- 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.          85 

ing  the  machinery  would  make  their  wages  equal  those  of 
men.  Said  one  proprietor,  "  It  is  not  we  employers  that 
make  money.  It  is  the  middle-men.  You  will  accomplish 
a  good  deal  if  you  regulate  the  rate  of  wages."  I  thought 
so  too,  with  as  little  justice,  and  humanity,  as  there  are  in 
the  business  world. 

When  men  and  women  are  employed  in  the  same  estab 
lishments,  women  have  not  the  lightest,  most  healthy,  and 
most  pleasant  parts  of  the  labor.  We  would  refer  you  to 
the  cotton,  woolen,  and  silk  manufactures,  and  to  the  coal, 
and  metal  miners,  for  proofs  of  the  assertion  ;  but  they  have 
the  hardest,  worst  paid,  and  most  unhealthy  work.  In  civil 
ized  countries  it  is  a  remnant  of  the  former  degradation  of 
the  sex.  Over-work  and  under-pay  are  the  curse  of  work 
women.  While  they  last,  the  poverty,  and  suffering,  of 
women,  will  continue. 

The  reason  women  do  not  have  strikes  in  the  United 
States,  like  men,  and  demand  higher  wages,  is,  that  many 
are  ignorant ;  many  cannot  afford  the  time  and  money  ;  some 
are  so  despairing  they  think  it  useless  ;  some  have  a  false 
pride  about  the  matter  ;  they  think  it  would  look  unwoman 
ly  ;  but  the  principal  reason  is,  they  have  no  one  to  lead 
them,  on  whom  they  can  rely.  Female  operatives  in  Eng 
land  have  made  strikes,  at  different  times,  for  higher  wages. 

We  have  often  felt  disposed  to  give  men  credit  for  em 
ploying  women  in  preference  to  persons  of  their  own  sex, 
but  often  the  preference  is  given  because  they  can  be  had 
for  less  wages.  Any  person  of  correct  views  and  principles, 
respects  employers  that  give  their  women  as  good  wages  as 
their  men,  for  the  same  amount  of  labor,  as  well  done,  or 
payment  in  the  same  proportion,  for  less  work,  not  so  skill 
fully  performed. 

If  women  were  in  possession  of  some  of  the  employments 
now  monopolized  by  men,  and  as  well  compensated  for  their 
work,  wicked  men  would  have  less  money  and  power.  They 
would  not  be  so  well  able  to  gratify  evil  desires,  and  animal 
appetites. 

With  scarcely  an  exception,  in  the  industrial  avocations 


86  WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED. 

of  women,  three  fourths  of  what  they  earn  goes  toward 
defraying  the  expenses  of  board  and  washing.  If  they 
were  better  paid,  they  would  have  more  self-respect,  and,  in 
having  more  self-respect,  would  be  more  desirous  to  secure, 
and  more  successful  in  securing,  the  respect  of  others. 

Men  learn  a  trade  early  in  life  ;  most  women  go  to  one 
when  necessity  compels  them,  and  they  have  not  time  to 
qualify  themselves  as  they  should.  Women  rarely  devote 
more  than  six  months  to  learning  any  pursuit.  We  are 
aware  that  some  may  say,  women  are  rewarded  in  propor 
tion  to  their  skill ;  and  to  some  extent  it  is  true,  but  not 
fully.  A  woman  who  spends  but  a  few  weeks  learning  her 
business,  at  a  small  cost,  should  not  expect  the  same  remu 
neration  as  one  who  had  given  years  to  it,  at  great  expense. 
Women  that  sew  as  well  as  men,  are,  I  am  told,  nearly  as 
well  paid  in  a  few  branches.  Not  to  receive  an  equivalent 
for  labor  is  certainly  discouraging,  particularly  to  a  mother, 
whose  young  children  look  to  her  for  bread. 

Women  want  moral  and  mental  courage.  They  receive 
such  wages  as  men  offer,  without  considering  whether  it  is 
a  fair  compensation.  They  feel  that  to  demand  higher 
wages  is  a  barrier  they  cannot  surmount.  And  perhaps 
they  cannot,  in  individual  cases,  as  matters  now  stand  ;  but 
if  they  would  unite,  and  work  earnestly,  unselfishly,  and  per 
sistently,  they  could  level  the  mountains,  and  fill  the  valleys, 
that  impede  their  progress. 

If  they  would  qualify  themselves  more  thoroughly  for 
their  business,  they  would  not  feel  the  necessity  of  getting 
married  for  a  home,  for  they  would  then  be  more  likely  to 
find  employment,  and  be  able  to  command  better  wages. 
Let  women  prepare  themselves  thoroughly  for  the  higher 
departments  of  labor,  and  demand  proper  compensation, 
and  persevere  in  doing  so  until  they  receive  it. 

A  certain  manufacturer  of  patent  medicines  in  Philadel 
phia,  who  employs  some  women,  said,  "  My  women  once 
insisted  on  having  as  high  wages  as  men.  It  would  not  do. 
They  were  cutting  off  their  own  heads."  I  ventured  to  in 
quire  why  they  might  not  have  as  good  wages,  if  they  did 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.  87 

as  much  work,  and  did  it  as  well.  He  said,  "  Women  could 
not  l)e  ordered  about  like  men,  and  it  is  not  right  that  men 
should  be  supplanted." 

In  New  York  the  Jews  have  done  much  to  cut  down 
prices.  They  are  said  to  be  extortionists,  and  a  lazy  people 
that  prefer  to  live  off  the  profits  of  their  seamstresses,  and 
other  work-people,  to  laboring  with  their  own  hands. 

Most  employers,  I  am  informed,  prefer  having  their  work 
clone  by  the  piece.  I  should  think  the  plan  preferable  also 
to  work-people.  The  work  of  slop-shops  is  very  low,  but 
it  is  given  out,  and  paid  for  by  the  piece. 

I  would  recommend  to  my  readers  a  French  book,  by 
J.  Boucher  de  Perthes,  entitled  "  Woman  in  her  Social  State 
—  Her  Work  and  her  Remuneration."  It  makes  important 
statements,  and  throws  out  valuable  suggestions.  The 
author  says,  "  Errors  and  abuses  have  been  accumulating  for 
years  —  yes,  centuries  —  in  trade,  manufactures,  and  every 
department  of  labor,  So  that  what  is  now  custom  is  looked 
upon  as  right,  or  rather  without  any  inquiry  whether  it  is 
wrong,  and  capable  of  being  remedied.  So  great  is  the  com 
petition  of  manufacturers  that  some  will  say, '  We  cannot  pay 
our  work-people  more  ;  others  sell  at  a  certain  price,  and  un 
less  we  can  make  a  better  quality  of  goods  for  the  same  price, 
we  may  not  sell  at  all,  or  unless  we  can  make  goods  of  the 
same  quality  at  lower  rates.  Any  way,  we  cannot  sell  goods 
of  the  same  quality  for  more  than  our  neighbors,  and  there* 
fore  cannot  without  a  loss  of  profit,  and  probably  final  ruin 
to  ourselves,  pay  more  to  our  work-people.'  This  is  plausi-* 
ble ;  and  in  such  cases,  at  such  times,  we  justify  the  inter 
ference  and  regulations  of  government.  And  in  case  it  is  not 
done,  a  combination  of  work-people  should  take  the  matter 
in  hand,  and  demand  adequate  wages."  We  would  suggest 
what  to  us  appears  even  a  better  plan  —  the  establishment 
of  cooperative  associations. 

The  result  of  insufficient  wages  is  a  problem  that  time 
and  circumstances  are  fast  solving.  Already  have  some  of 
the  European  countries  furnished  a  sad  and  terrible  solu 
tion.  Under-paid  labor  has  very  truly  been  called  robbery, 


88  WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED. 

Is  that  term  mild  enough?  What  patience,  what  self-con 
trol,  what  a  power  of  endurance,  are  required  to  live  under 
oppression  and  injustice  !  Some,  so  situated,  hesitate  be 
tween  want  and  vice.  Comparatively  few  people  know 
what  it  is  to  need  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  therefore  few 
know  the  temptations  arising  from  want. 

If  more  occupations  are  entered  by  women  it  will  give 
them  more  independence  pecuniarily.  It  will  do  much  to 
overcome  misery,  and  oppose  intemperance.  It  will  check 
the  still  more  fearful  scourge  that  is  working  ruin  and  death. 

To  pay  women  better  prices  for  labor  will  give  it  a  dig 
nity  in  public  estimation.  The  effect  will  prove  beneficial 
not  only  to  workers,  pecuniarily  and  socially,  but  its  influ 
ence  will  extend  to  those  indirectly  affected. 

The  great  demand,  in  England,  for  female  labor  in  fac 
tories,  and  the  low  prices  paid,  have  given  rise  to  the  cruel 
system  of  child-murder.  In  order  to  make  the  infant  sleep, 
during  the  mother's  absence,  the  young  child  that  acts  as 
nurse,  or  the  old  woman  that  takes  charge  of  it  for  a  fe\v 
farthings,  gives  it  Godfrey's  cordial.  A  long,  slow  poison 
ing  is  the  result,  and  the  child  falls  a  victim,  or  lingers  on, 
a  weak,  diseased  creature,  murdered  by  one  who  has  given 
it  life,  and  loves  it  better  than  her  own  soul.  Another 
abominable  practice,  becoming  common  in  England,  is  that 
of  the  mother  fastening  a  sponge,  saturated  with  a  narcotic, 
in  the  mouth  of  her  ini'ant,  when  leaving  it  in  the  morning, 
to  be  gone  all  day  at  her  work.  The  principal  cause  of  the 
loss  of  infants  at  birth,  by  Irish  women,  is  attributed  to  the 
contraction  of  the  pelvis,  induced  by  tying  them  when  chil 
dren  in  chairs,  while  the  mothers  are  at  work. 

What  prompts  to  this  neglect  of  children?  Why  is  all 
this  misery  and  cruelty  committed?  Why  this  inhuman 
child-murder?  Because  there  is  a  demand  for  female  labor. 
And  why  this  demand?  Because  it  is  cheaper.  And  why 
cheaper  ?  Is  it  because  women  are  better  able  to  labor  than 
men — that  they  have  more  strength?  No;  it  is  a  result 
of  the  injustice  women  have  suffered  from  the  most  remote 
ages.  Most  women  in  lunatic  asylums  are  there  from 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED,          89 

domestic  trouble,  from  over-work,  from  inability  to  earn  a 
living,  or  from  the  terrible  fear  that  they  may  not  be  able 
to  do  so  in  the  future. 

In  the  '•  New  York  Herald,"  mention  was  made,  during 
the  strikes  by  the  shoemakers  in  Massachusetts,  u  of  a  Jady 
whose  necessities  compelled  her  to  work  on  binding  boots,  for 
which  she  only  received  the  miserable  pittance  of  two  cents 
per  pair.  She  could  only  by  hard  work  get  through  two  pairs 
with  her  own  hands  in  two  whole  days  —  thus  netting  four 
cents  for  two  whole  days'  toil.  Some  women  received  but 
eight  cents  per  pair  for  fitting  and  binding  women's  congress 
gaiters."  One  of  the  speakers  at  a  mass  meeting  in  Bo 
tanic  Hall,  New  York,  (18G2)  remarked,  "  Hundreds  of 
journeymen  shoemakers  of  Massachusetts  support  their  fam 
ilies,  while  making  shoes  at  ten,  eight,  and  sometimes  .five 
cents  a  pair,  and  then  have  to  take  orders  upon  the  grocer, 
tailor,  and  even  upon  the  doctor  ;  and  all  this,  sir,  within 
the  pale  of  New  England  civilization." 

In  the  "  Monthly  Record  "  of  the  Five  Points  House  of 
Industry,  August,  1859,  is  an  account  of  a  visit  by  the 
superintendent  to  a  poor  widow.  It  reads  as  follows  :  "  I 
found  her  hard  at  work  making  boys'  cloth  caps,  trimmed 
with  braid,  and  bow,  and  buttons,  lined  with  glazed  muslin 
and  wash-leather,  and  with  patent  leather  front ;  for  the 
making  and  pressing  of  which  she  received  two  shillings 
per  dozen,  or  two  cents  a  piece.  AVe  could  not  believe  it, 
and  asked  to  see  her  pass-book.  It  was  true.  4  In  good 
times,'  she  said,  1 1  used  to  get  three  shillings  and  sixpence 
per  dozen,  but  now  the  price  is  reduced.'  " 

In  London  fifty  thousand  females  are  working  under  six 
pence  per  day,  and  above  one  hundred  thousand  under  one 
shilling  per  day.  "  Shirt-makers  in  London  make  a  dozen 
shirts  for  two  shillings.  Waistcoat-makers  earn  only  from 
three  to  four  shillings  a  week ;  workers  for  the  army 
clothiers  receive  eight  cents  apiece  for  jackets  and  trousers, 
earning  thereby  two  shillings  a  week.  Shoe-binders  work 
eighteen  hours  a  day,  and  earn  qne  shilling  and  sixpence  a 
week.  The  mantilla-maker  sits  from  nine  in  the  morning 


90  WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED. 

I  till  eleven  at  night,  and  makes  about  four  shillings  and  eight- 
pence  a  week  in  busy  seasons  ;  the  upholsterer  seldom  earns 
four  shillings  a  week  ;  the  worker  in  furs  the  same  way. 
The  embroiderer  gets  from  one  shilling  to  one  shilling  and 
threepence  the  dress  ;  the  garter-maker  works'from  eight  in 
the  morning  till  nine  at  night,  to  earn  about  four  shillings  a 
week  clear  ;  the  brace-maker  earns  only  from  one  shilling 
to  one  shilling  and  three  and  a  half  pence  every  week,  work 
ing  twelve  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  finding  cotton  and 
caudles,  and  besides  has  three  months  slack  in  the  year,  dur 
ing  which  she  gets  about  fourpence  halfpenny  a  week." 
See  "  Frazer's  Magazine,"  vol.  xli.,  to  which  we  are  indebted 
for  the  substance  of  part  of  what  we  give  on  wages  in 
London.  *'  Two  women  engaged  there  in  drawn  bonnet- 
making  received  each,  for  from  eighteen  to  twenty  hours' 
work  every  day,  Sundays  included,  through  the  year  1842, 
fourpence  one  farthing ;  in  1847,  threepence  halfpenny ; 
through  1848  and  1849,  twopence  halfpenny.  From  thirteen 
thousand  to  fourteen  thousand  females  in  London  are  en 
gaged  in  slop-work,  earning,  on  an  average,  twopence  half 
penny  a  day,  of  whom  one  fourth,  having  no  husband,  or 
parent  to  support  them,  have  no  chance  between  starvation 
and  prostitution." 

At  a  singular  meeting  held  a  few  years  since  at  the 
British  school-room,  Shod  well,  one  thousand  female  slop- 
workers  were  present,  by  far  the  greater  part  in  clothing  to 
which  the  word  rags  was  literally  applicable  in  its  fullest 
meaning.  u  None  of  that  number  had  earned  more  than 
five  shillings  a  week.  Ninety-nine  had  earned  only  one 
shilling,  ninety-two  had  earned  under  one  shilling,  and  two 
hundred  and  thirty-three  had  had  no  work  at  all  duriug  the 
whole  of  the  week." 

Says  a  writer  in  the  u  North  American  Review,"  vol.  xli. 
p,  348,  "  The  wages  of  cotton  manufacturers  on  the  continent 
of  Europe  may  be  considered  as  varying  from  fifty  cents  to 
one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  weekly.  The  population 
of  France  may  be  stated  at  thirty-two  millions.  Of  these 
seven  and  a  half  millions  receive  less  than  twenty  dollars  a 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.  91 

year  for  their  support ;  and  nearly  twenty-three  millions  of 
the  inhabitants  are  compelled  to  procure  the  necessaries  of 
life  with  from  five  to  eight  sous  daily." 

Column,  in  his  "  European  Agriculture,"  says,  "  There  is 
a  constant  struggle  for  the  agricultural  population  of  Eng 
land  and  Ireland  to  sustain  themselves,  but  any  surplus  is 
beyond  their  reach.  Women  rise  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  working  for  four  shillings  (one  dollar)  per  week. 
Children  of  the  ages  of  four,  five,  and  six  years  work  in 
the  gangs  at  threepence  a  day,  their  hands  blistered." 

"  In  Paris,"  says  the  author  of  "  Parisian  Sights,"  "  the 
average  wages  of  the  men  are  seventy-five  cents  a  day,  of 
the  women  thirty-three  cents.  There  are  eighty  thousand 
domestics,  who  average  less  than  twenty  cents.  The  worst 
paid  workmen  are  the  cotton  spinners,  who  receive  only 
from  twenty  to  forty  cents  a  day,  women  often  not  over 
fifteen  cents." 

The  crowded  state  of  the  labor  market  of  women,  and 
the  high  price  of  living  in  cities,  render  their  condition 
lamentable.  How  insufficient  are  the  wages  of  many  to 
support  them  comfortably,  and  enable  them  to  lay  by  some 
thing  for  sickness  and  old  age  !  Think  of  their  low-roofed 
attics,  and  damp  cellars,  where  they  are  huddled  together 
like  so  many  cattle.  Tell  me,  Christian  men  and  women, 
are  these  your  sisters?  Have  they,  too,  come  from  the 
stock  of  Adam  ? 

A  surplus  of  labor  always  produces  depreciation  of  wages. 
Wages  should  depend  on  ability  and  application.  The  com 
petition  of  women's  labor  with  boys',  in  the  non-domestic 
departments,  is  one  cause  of  their  low  wages.  Thousands 
of  women  never  marry,  that  must  and  do  earn  a  living,  but 
work  for  less  wages  than  men,  even  doing  as  hard  work,  and 
doing  it  as  well.  When  more  employments  are  opened  to 
women,  they  will  be  able  to  command  higher  wages  ;  for  if 
one  occupation  does  not  pay,  they  can  enter  another. 

Both  employers  and  laborers  are  interested  in  the  rate  of 
-wages.  The  vast  amount  of  work  required  in  this  country, 
owing  to  its  newness,  its  government,  its  institutions,  and 


92  WOMEN'S  LABOR   NOT  COMPENSATED. 

the  amount  of  capital  invested  by  those  in  foreign  countries,* 
aside  from  that  employed  by  our  own  people,  with  the  wide 
extent  and  cheapness  of  land,  tend  to  fix  a  comparatively 
fair  price  on  men's  labor,  and  on  women's  a  better  one  than 
in  most  countries.  Yet  an  improvement  might  be  made  in 
paying  a  higher  price  for  female  labor.  Indeed,  the  scanty 
compensation  paid  woman's  labor  is  a  reproach  to  the  coun 
try.  Some  people  have  attached  much  blame  to  the  ladies 
of  the  United  States  for  wearing  fine  goods  brought  from 
Europe,  where  pale,  half-clad  girls,  for  a  mere  pittance,  are 
wearing  out  their  lives  to  make  them.  They  blame  the 
pride  and  vanity  Americans  also  indulge,  in  the  purchase  of 
elegant  furniture,  of  foreign  manufacture.  They  insist  that 
American  goods  should  be  used,  though  less  beautiful,  and  a 
good  price  paid,  that  industrious  Americans  may  be  en 
couraged  in  their  labor.  If  ladies  will  imitate  Parisian 
styles  in  making  up  articles  of  dress,  let  them,  at  least,  buy 
American  goods.  And  let  them  buy  at  establishments 
where  the  work-people  are  properly  compensated.  Human 
ity  prompts  assistance  to  those  who  need  it,  and  in  what  way 
can  that  be  rendered  to  the  healthy  poor  more  efficiently 
than  by  furnishing  such  employment  as  they  are  capable  of 
at  reasonable  rates  ? 

It  is  the  duty  of  governments,  so  far  as  they  can,  to  as 
sist  in  this  matter.  They  should  make  their  contracts  with 
just  and  honest  men  —  men  that  pay  operatives  a  fair  price, 
and  do  not-  overwork  them.  They  should  give  their  work  to 
such  contractors  only,  as  pay  their  workwomen  a  specified 
price,  allowing  a  reasonable  profit  to  the  contractors.  Let 
such  men  supply  the  army  and  navy  with  clothes.  All  the 
clothes,  even  shoes,  for  the  army  and  navy,  could  be  made 
by  women.  The  difference  in  the  price  paid  by  govern 
ment  to  honorable  contractors  will  be  a  comparative  trifle, 
while  it  will  not  only  do  good  in  itself,  but  be  an  example 
to  individuals  and  societies.  If  government  contractors 
give  good  wages  to  women  for  their  work,  storemen  and 

•*  See  "  Resources  and  Prospects  of  America,"  for  sale  by  Rout- 
ledge  &  Son,  New  York. 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.  93 

shopmen  will  be  induced  to  increase  their  wages,  and  so  a 
general  change  be  gradually  wrought.     "  A  nation  can  buy 
nothing  cheap  which    slackens    the   arm   of   its  industry." 
Good  prices  for   work,  abundance  of  food,  and  reasonable 
charges  for  clothing  and  shelter,  will  give  material  comfort 
to  work-people,  and  serve  to  render  them  prosperous  and 
happy.     The  right  distribution  of  labor  is  a  matter  of  vast 
importance  to  a  nation.     The  money  and  facilities  required 
to  furnish  all    its  members  with   labor  and  compensation, 
are  beyond  the  control  and  command  of  hundreds,  or  even 
thousands,  of  indiv  iduals  ;  consequently  it  should  be  made 
to  some  extent  a  legislative  and  national  affair.     "  The  pro 
gression  or  emancipation  of  any  class  usually,  if  not  always, 
takes  place  through  the  efforts  of  individuals  of  that  class  — 
and  so  it  must  be  here.     All  women  should  inform  them 
selves  of  the  condition  of  their  sex,  and  of  their  own  position." 
Cooper,    in  his    "  Condition    of  the    Working   Classes," 
writes,  u  A  general  rise  of  live    per   cent,  in  the  rate  of 
wages,  if  considered  in  the  abstract,  would  appear  a  matter 
of  little  consequence  ;  but  in  fact,  it  would  confer  a  great 
benefit  upon  the  poor.     The  additional  sum  paid  to  the  work 
man  would  add  to  the  means  of  the  members  of  the  middle 
classes,  who  are  dependent  upon  such  workmen,  and  enable 
them,  as  well  as  the  laborers,  to  become  greater  consumers. 
This  increase  in  the  consumption  of  the  different  descriptions 
of  goods,  would  cause  a  corresponding  increase  in  their  pro 
duction,  and  create  an  additional  demand  for  labor.     The 
wages  paid  for  this  labor,  by  adding  something  more  to  the 
means  of  the  poor,  and  their  dependents,  would  still  further 
increase  the  consumption  of  goods,  and  consequently  their 
production,  and  so  create  employment  for  more  labor." 

An  Englishman  told  me  that  labor  is  just  as  well  paid  in 
England  as  in  the  United  States,  for  there  house  rent  is  not 
so  dear,  the  credit  system  is  more  common,  and  the  interest 
on  money  is  much  less. 

A  French  woman  remarked  to  me,  that  in  France  ladies 
of  wealth  do  not  work,  and  so  the  laboring  classes  of  wo 
men  are  better  paid  for  their  labor ;  but  in  this  country 


94  WOMEN'S  LABOR   NOT  COMPENSATED. 

everybody  works.  This  country  is  better,  however,  in 
one  way  than  France  for  the  poor.  There  an  enormous 
price  must  be  paid  for  a  license  to  go  into  business,  but  here 
it  is  not  so. 

People  should  endeavor  to  ascertain  how  an  employer  pays 
his  work-people  before  they  patronize  him,  and  be  willing  to 
pay  a  fair  price  for  what  they  purchase,  that  the  employer 
may  be  able  to  pay  a  just  equivalent  for  work. 

A  lady  who  prides  herself  on  her  literary  reputation,  being 
asked  by  me  why  men  should  receive  better  wages  than 
women,  replied,  "  Because  the  cares  of  government  devolve 
on  them."  Are  not  women  of  property  taxed  to  support 
the  government?  The  compensation  of  that  lady  was  not 
as  poor,  in  comparison  with  male  authors,  as  that  of  wo 
men  in  most  other  pursuits.  And  here,  I  would  make  an 
exception  in  the  comparative  compensation  of  men  and 
women  for  mere  brain  work.  More  justice  is  done  such 
women,  because  they  can  better  demand  and  secure  what  is 
due  them.  From  the  exorbitant,  price  a  few  educated  ladies 
ask  for  their  productions,  they  doubtless  suppose  their  in 
fluence  and  importance  are  enhanced  thereby.  Yet  it  is 
only  those  that  have  acquired  a  reputation  as  writers,  that 
can  command  a  high  compensation.  I  have  it  from  excel 
lent  authority,  that  if  an  article  is  sent  to  a  newspaper,  and 
it  is  known  to  come  from  a  woman,  it  is  less  likely  to  be 
published,  and  if  any  compensation  is  allowed,  it  will  be 
smaller  than  to  a  man. 

Meyrick  says,  "  Overwork  is  the  result  of  low  wages, 
To  what  are  we  to  trace  the  evil  of  low  wages?  There 
seem  to  be  three  chief  causes  :  First,  an  over-large  supply 
of  laborers  ;  secondly,  a  determination  on  the  part  of  shop 
keepers  to  provide  their  customers  with  goods  at  the  cheapest 
rate  possible  ;  and  thirdly,  what  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the 
two  others,  the  unchecked  working  of  the  principle  of 
competition." 

The  rates  of  wages,  and  the  price  of  living,  are  pretty 
much  the  same  in  all  the  cities  of  the  United  States,  In 
towns  and  villages  both  are  less,  and  in  the  country  there  is 
a  still  greater  difference.  The  further  south  you  go,  the 


WOMEN'S  LABOR  NOT  COMPENSATED.  95 

better  are  the  prices  paid  —  yet  living  is  somewhat  higher. 
In  some  places  wages  are  lower  in  winter  than  in  summer, 
because  the  hours  for  work  are  shorter.  Yet  the  worker  is 
at  the  additional  expense  of  fuel,  and  of  more  clothing,  and 
that,  too,  of  a  more  expensive  kind.  In  addition,  the  prices 
for  food  are  higher. 

When  I  consider  the  injustice  done  workwomen  by  low- 
ness  of  wages,  scarcity  of  remunerative  employment,  trick 
ery  of  trade,  and  the  limited  number  of  occupations  opened 
to  them,  my  blood  boils  with  indignation.  Read  "  London 
Labor,"  and  ask  the  result  of  the  impression  on  your  mind. 
If  women  were  paid  in  proportion  to  the  quality  and  quanti 
ty  of  their  work,  at  the  same  rate  that  men  are  paid,  there 
could  be  no  reasonable  objection  to  women  entering  any 
occupation  they  desire  to.  It  is  unmanly  and  unjust  to  cut 
short  a  woman's  wages  merely  because  she  is  a  woman. 
Instead  of  strong,  healthy  men  receiving  higher  wages  than 
delicate  women,  we  think  the  plan  should  be  reversed.  Men 
are  able  to  do  more,  and  work  longer,  than  women.  A  tax 
should  be  levied  on  the  property  of  unmarried  men  for  the 
support  of  single  women  without  property,  or  else  a  better 
price  paid  for  their  labor,  and  more  employments  opened  to 
them.  Many  people  think  women's  wages  will  never  be 
raised  until  they  have  equal  political  rights  with  men.  It 
is  quite  probable  that  such  is  the  case. 

A  New  England  farmer  writes  me,  "  In  small  districts 
there  is  sometimes  a  scarcity  of  labor  in  domestic  service. 
The  reason  is,  Yankee  girls  will  not  go  out  in  that  capacity. 
All  such  work  is  done  by  Irish  girls.  That  is  one  reason 
woman's  labor  in  the  industrial  branches  does  not  pay 
better.  So  many  women  are  seeking  for  such  work  that 
there  is  great  competition,  and  they  underbid  each  other." 

We  read,  that  "  in  Iowa  the  labor  of  women  is  estimated 
about  as  high  as  that  of  men  ;  and  as  they  are  generally 
industrious  and  frugal,  they  are  quite  independent  of  the 
other  sex." 

Reasonable  prices  for  all  kinds  of  work  are  paid  women 
in  California.  Lady  teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  San 
Fraucisco  receive  the  same  salaries  as  men. 


96  INSUFFICIENT    WAGES. 


BAD   RESULTS    OF   INSUFFICIENT   WAGES. 

"  nnHE  physicians  of  England  say  that  in  the  female  side 
JL  of  lunatic  asylums,  the  largest  class,  but  one,  of  the 
insane,  are  maids-of-all-work,  (the  other  being  governesses). 
The  causes  are  obvious  enough  :  want  of  sufficient  sleep 
from  late  and  early  hours,  unremitting  fatigue  and  hurry  ; 
and  even  more  than  these,  anxiety  about  the  future  from  the 
smalluess  of  their  wages." 

"  It  will  be  ever  memorable  that  during  the  transition 
period,  in  which  Ireland  passed  over  from  destitution  and 
despair,  to  comfort  and  progress,  the  nation  was  mainly 
supported  by  the  industry  of  the  women.  In  the  succeed 
ing  period,  and  after  the  famine,  the  desire  for  the  lowest- 
priced  labor  led  to  the  employment  of  women  and  children, 
and  the  strange  spectacle  was  then  common  of  women  toil 
ing  on  the  farms,  or  in  pastures,  while  the  strong  men  were 
nursing  the  babies  and  the  grannies  at  ho*ie." 

In  some  pursuits  women  are  quite  as  capable  of  bodily 
and  mental  superiority  as  men,  but  have  not  become  so, 
because  not  educated  to  do  their  work  so  thoroughly  and 
skillfully  as  men.  Particularly  is  it  so  in  the  sewing 
department.  The  majority  of  women  who  sew  for  a  living 
are  not  capable  of  doing  so  by  hand  as  neatly  and  skillfully 
as  men,  and  that  accounts,  iu  some  cases,  for  lower  wages. 

Many  persons  complain  of  a  great  laxity  of  principle 
among  work-people.  If  so,  may  it  not  arise,  to  some 
extent,  from  scanty  remuneration,  and  from  living  with  no 
other  aim  but  that  of  contributing  to  the  physical  wants, 
without  leisure  and  money  for  refining  and  elevating  recre 
ations?  All  evil  does  not  originate  in  poverty  and  desola 
tion,  but  some  does. 


INSUFFICIENT    WAGES.  97 

We  read  in  "  Time  and  Tide,"  by  John  Ruskin,  "  The 
value  of  any  piece  of  labor  —  that  is  to  say,  the  quantity  of 
food  and  air  which  will  enable  a  man  to  perform  it,  without 
losing  actually  any  of  his  flesh,  or  his  nervous  energy  —  is 
as  absolutely  fixed  a  quantity,  as  the  weight  of  powder 
necessary  to  carry  a  given  ball  a  given  distance.  Let 
any  half  dozen  of  recognized  London  physicians  state  in 
precise  terms  the  quantity  arid  kind  of  food,  and  space  of 
lodging,  they  consider  approximately  necessary  for  the 
healthy  life  of  a  laborer,  in  any  given  manufacture,  and 
the  number  of  hours  he  may,  without  shortening  his  life, 
work  at  such  business  daily,  if  so  sustained.  And  let  all 
masters  be  bound  to  give  their  men  a  choice  between  an 
order  for  that  quantity  of  food  and  lodging,  or  such  wages 
as  the  market  may  offer  for  that  number  of  hours'  work." 

The  rules  of  labor  adapted  to  men  are  applicable  to 
women.  If  there  are  just  enough  food,  fuel,  shelter,  and 
other  essential  comforts  of  life,  to  supply  the  entire  popula 
tion  of  the  civilized  race,  then  it  is  evident  that  all  waste 
and  improvident  use  of  such  things  subtract  so  much  from 
the  comfort  of  others. 

Occasionally  we  hear  the  remark,  that  if  people  do  right, 
and  are  industrious  when  young,  they  will  not  \vant  for  a 
home  when  old.  This  would  be  true  if  everybody  in  the 
world  did  right.  But  the  condition  of  people  is  often  the 
result  of  the  sins  or  extravagance  of  those  to  whom  they 
are  bound  by  the  ties  of  marriage  or  consanguinity.  And 
again  :  poverty  may,  and  often  does,  arise  from  failure  of 
health,  from  reverses  in  business,  and  unfortunate  invest 
ments  of  money,  and  not  unfrequently  from  becoming  se 
curity  for  the  debts  of  others. 

It  is  a  blessed  thing  that  a  few  homes  are  provided  for 
the  old  age  of  those  that  have  none.  Would  to  Heaven 
more  were  established. 

We  believe  if  the  way  in  which  a  large  portion  of  female 

workers  are  obliged  to  live  in  this,  and,  we  suppose,  other 

civilized  countries,  on   account  of  low  wages,  were  made 

known,    it   would    make    all    Christendom   tremble.      The 

7 


98  INSUFFICIENT   WAGES. 

women  are  not  to  be  blamed,  but  pitied.  They  might 
have  been  happy  and  useful  citizens,  if  their  labors  had 
been  properly  rewarded.  A  reasonable  means  of  subsist 
ence  is  necessary  to  preserve  from  temptation  to  evil.  If  a 
woman  cannot,  by  severe  drudgery,  earn  enough  to  save 
herself  and  young  children  from  cold  and  hunger,  wretched 
ness  and  degradation,  woe,  woe  be  to  that  community  of 
which  she  is  a  member. 

Madame  Romieu  gives,  in  her  "  Woman  of  the  Nineteenth 
-  Century,"  as  a  cause  of  prostitution  in  France,  the  insuffi 
ciency  of  the  wages  of  many  of  the  working  women  to  sup 
port  life.  Rev.  John  Barlow  says,  "  It  has  been  observed 
to  me  by  a  distinguished  friend,  who  formerly  filled  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  State  in  the  Home  Department,  that 
the  increase  of  crime  has  generally  been  in  the  ratio  of  the 
want  of  employment  for  the  people,  and  that  it  is  proba 
ble  that  the  same  cause  may  operate  toward  increasing 
insanity." 

"  Parent  Duchatelet  attests  that  of  three  thousand  lost 
women  in  Paris,  only  thirty-five  had  an  occupation  that 
could  support  them,  and  that  fourteen  had  been  precipitated 
into  this  horrible  life  by  destitution.  One  of  these,  when 
she  resolved  on  this  course,  had  eaten  nothing  for  three 
days." 

To  bestow  charity  on  a  woman  able  and  willing  to  work 
is  lowering  her  dignity,  and  wounding  her  self-respect.  To 
be  obliged  to  accept  charity  causes  intense  pain  to  one  of  a 
refined  and  sensitive  nature.  Yet,  if  a  woman's  resources 
will  not  maintain  her,  what  better  can  she  do?  Nothing. 
But  she  may  console  herself  with  the  consciousness,  if 
she  works  all  her  time,  to  the  best  of  her  abilities  and 
knowledge,  that  society  and  her  country  entitle  her  to  a 
support ;  that  it  is  due  her  from  them  ;  and  that  any  wise, 
humane,  and  judicious  government  would  make  adequate 
provision  for  the  support  of  its  worthy,  industrious  women. 

Of  a  company   of  needlewomen   and   slop-workers   Mr. 

Mayhew  convened  in  Paris,  he  says,  "  They  were  unani- 

~  inous  in  declaring  that  a  large  number  in  the  trade  —  proba- 


INSUFFICIENT    WAGES.  99 

bly  one  fourth  of  the  whole,  or  one  half  of  those  who  had 
no  husband  or  parent  to  support  them  —  resorted  to  the 
streets  to  eke  out  a  living.  Not  unfrequently  has  prostitu 
tion  arisen  from  unselfishness,  in  trying  to  provide  for  the 
necessities  of  fatherless  children,  or  an  infirm  mother,  when 
no  other  way  offered,  when  virtuous  employment  could  not 
be  obtained,  and  charity  withheld  its  hand." 

Poor  fallen  ones  !  that  found  neither  place  nor  people  to 
turn  to  for  succor.  Who  will  be  the  first  to  cast  a  stone  ? 
Their  sad  hearts  are  pained  by  a  consciousness  of  having 
done  wrong,  to  which  is  added  the  bitter  reproach  that  by 
a  majority  of  their  sex  they  are  censured  and  scorned. 
Calumny  and  slander,  with  their  tongues  of  fire  and  heart- 
piercing  swords,  may,  to  the  well  disposed,  be  rending  asun 
der  the  very  fibres  of  their  hearts.  Sadly  to  be  lamented  is 
the  fact  that  with  some  the  choice  lay  between  starvation 
and  ruin. 

A  correspondent  of  the  "  Christian  Inquirer"  says  of  the 
statement  in  a  work  by  Dr.  Sanger,  "  The  average  dura 
tion  of  a  prostitute's  life  in  New  York  is  just  four  years." 
Ill  treatment,  by  parents  and  husbands,  sends  one  tenth  of  this 
army  of  vice  into  their  wretched  calling.  But  the  saddest 
fact  of  all,  and  one  most  disgraceful  to  our  Christian  civili 
zation,  is,  that  full  one  fourth  of  the  lost  women  of  London 
and  New  York  were  driven  to  the  streets  and  the  brothels 
by  destitution.  The  terrible  alternative  has  been  starvation 
or  hell.  Employment  at  fair  remuneration  will  do  more  to 
rescue  in  season  those  for  whom  the  vortex  of  the  brothel 
is  yawning,  than  all  the  Magdalen  societies  in  existence  ; 
for  while  those  societies  afford  occasional  recovery  to  the 
few,  the  other  method  will  secure  prevention  and  safety  to 
the  many." 

"  The  vices  of  the  poor,"  says  Mrs.  Gaskell,  "  sometimes 
astound  us  here  ;  but  when  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  shall  be 
made  known,  their  virtues  will  astound  us  in  a  far  greater 
degree." 

There  seems  a  deficiency  in  tracing  the  causes  of  crime 
and  poverty,  and  a  want  of  common  sense  in  providing 


100  INSUFFICIENT    WAGES. 

practical  means  for  preventing,  checking,  and  curing  these 
cancers  of  society.  The  great  effort  seems  to  be  to  relieve, 
not  to  cure  ;  to  extend  charity,  ignoring  the  higher  virtue, 
justice.  Those  able  to  work  want  remunerative  labor,  not 
charity.  Charity  to  those  able  to  work,  and  willing  to  do 
it,  is  a  loss  to  the  giver  and  the  recipient  —  to  the  giver 
in  money,  and  the  recipient  in  execution.  It  is  surprising 
what  a  vast  amount  of  time,  labor,  and  money  is  spent  m 
attempts  at  charitable  and  philanthropic  works,  that  amount 
to  nothing  at  all,  for  the  want  of  judicious,  common  sense, 
systematic  arrangement,  and  execution. 


SUPPORT  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN.  101 


IT    REQUIRES    AS    MUCH    TO    SUPPORT    A 
WOMAN    AS    A    MAN. 

IN  commencing  this  subject,  we  would  state  for  our 
premises,  that  sufficiency  for  one  individual  would  be 
considered  starvation  by  another.  The  requirements  of  dif 
ferent  classes  of  society  vary  as  greatly  as  the  classes  them 
selves.  The  standard  for  the  price  of  labor,  in  all  countries, 
is  an  ability  to  obtain,  with  its  proceeds,  the  necessaries  of 
life.  But  a  variety  of  circumstances,  that  increases  with  the 
civilization  of  a  nation,  tends  to  influence  and  pervert  this 
standard. 

Universally  there  is  more  waste  of  time  and  money  among 
men  than  women.  Men  make  their  money  easily,  and  spend 
it  freely,  at*  least  a  majority  do,  where  their  own  comfort  or 
pleasure  is  to  be  the  return.  No  mechanic  will  work  in 
ordinary  times  for  less  than  from  two  to  four  dollars  a  day. 
How  many  women,  of  equal  intelligence,  can  obtain  as  good 
wages  for  mechanical  employment,  even  when  skill  is  the 
only  qualification,  and  women  are  as  competent?  The 
patience  and  perseverance  of  women  counterbalance  the 
strength  of  men. 

A  shop-girl  once  remarked  to  me,  "Workwomen  have  too 
much  pride.  They  will  starve  to  dress  well."  By  well  I  sup 
pose  she  meant  decently,  for  the  majority  I  have  seen,  were 
dressed  as  cheaply  as  they  could  be  to  look  decent.  Rather 
should  we  commend  women  that  they  have  the  laudable 
pride  to  make  a  respectable  appearance  on  so  small  a  sum. 
Pray  what  has  a  woman  to  spend  for  dress  who  receives  from 
two  to  five  dollars  a  week,  and  who  cannot  possibly  board 
for  less  than  two  thirds  of  her  earnings  ?  Boarding,  some 
employers  inform  us,  is  rather  cheaper  for  women  than  men. 


102  SUPPORT  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 

But  I  find  it  to  be  ihe  case,  that  they  usually  pay  quite  a.s 
high  for  the  saine* quality  of  board,  and  find  it  more  difficult 
to  obtain.  From  fifty  cents,  to  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents, 
jiTwe%k,  io-ss  much  as 'the  majority  of  shop-girls  can  spare 
for  clothes,  medicines,  doctor's  bills,  &c.  Their  clothing 
costs  as  much  as  men's,  or  more,  and  they  must  pay  as 
dearly  for  every  comfort  and  privilege.  Yet  they  are  paid 
only  from  one  sixth  to  one  half  as  much  for  their  labor. 
And  most  workwomen  are  at  times  out  of  employment ; 
besides,  they  fail  in  health  earlier  in  life.  In  payment  of 
wages  women  should  certainly  be  on  a  footing  with  men. 

When  we  consider  that  most  people  eat  one  thousand 
meals  in  the  course  of  a  year,  require  clothing  to  suit  the 
seasons,  must  have  shelter  for  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
nights  every  year,  if  not  for  as  many  days,  and  in  some  lati 
tudes  fuel  nearly  half  the  year,  we  know  that  as  the  hand 
labor  of  women  is  compensated,  there  can  be  but  little,  if 
anything,  laid  aside  for  sickness  and  old  age.  Some  people 
complain  that  women  work  as  a  means,  not  an  end.  How 
many  men  are  exceptions  to  the  statement  f 

Nothing  is  more  important  to  an  individual,  or  a  family, 
than  pecuniary  matters.  Debt  causes  unhappiness,  and,  if 
increased,  and  continued,  will,  in  many  cases,  lead  to  sui 
cide  or  crime. 

Economy  is  a  virtue  necessary  for  accumulation  and  suc 
cess  in  business.  In  the  middle  classes,  economy  does  nearly 
as  much  to  enrich  as  industry.  The  working  classes  need 
to  practice  it  for  their  own  good,  and  to  exercise  judgment 
in  their  expenditures.  A  close  estimate  should  be  made  of 
what  portion  of  the  income  may  go  to  the  separate  expenses 
of  dress,  fuel,  rent,  and  the  table.  It  is  well  to  save,  if 
possible,  for  future  needs,  or  to  purchase  implements  with 
which  to  render  one's  labor  more  productive. 

When  a  woman  becomes  competent  to  transact  business 
on  a  large  scale,  if  she  has  capital,  and  is  not  afraid  to  risk 
it,  she  will  be  likely  to  succeed,  if  she  can  keep  clear  of  a 
swindling  partner.  But  women  must  prepare  themselves 
thoroughly  for  business,  if  they  expect  to  come  in  competi 


SUPPORT  OF  MEN  AND   WOMEN.  103 

tion  with  men,  whose  business  education  has  commenced  in 
boyhood,  and  has  been  prosecuted  continuously,  with  in 
tense  application. 

Of  what  use  to  some  women  are  talents  and  education? 
They  do  not  turn  them  to  account.  They  are  no  better  off 
than  the  poor  sewing  girl ;  indeed,  do  not  accomplish  as  much 
for  the  good  of  the  world.  The  defect  arises  from  the  use 
less  education  given  women,  the  false  shame  attending  labor, 
a  tardiness  in  discovering  what  they  should  do,  and,  when 
discovered,  the  want  of  a  prompt  and  systematic  course  of 
action. 

The  majority  of  women,  living  in  ease,  are  unable  to  sym 
pathize  with  those  struggling  to  gain  a  subsistence.  They 
are  unconscious  of  the  depressing  influence  they  exert. 

We  must  suffer,  to  learn  to  benefit  those  that  have 
suffered.  To  endure  privations  ourselves,  is  the  only  sure 
way,  in  which  to  know  the  wants  of  others,  and  how  best  to 
meet  those  wants. 


104  WOMEN  LABOR    TOO  LONG. 


WOMEN   REQUIRED   TO   LABOR  TOO   LONG. 

WHY  should  women  labor  fourteen,  fifteen,  and  even  six 
teen  hours,  every  clay,  when  men  work  but  ten?  Is 
their  physical  strength  greater,  that  they  can  endure  it  ?  Why 
do  they  not  combine,  and  strike  for  the  ten-hour  system,  and 
higher  wages  ?  It  has  been  done  in  England ;  why  not  in 
this  country?  Or  why  not  demand  the  eight-hour  system, 
as  men  are  now  doing?  It  is  true,  there  are  some  men  that 
require  of  their  workwomen  but  ten  hours'  labor,  and  we 
know  of  a  few  that  never  require  but  nine  and  a  half,  and  of 
a  still  smaller  number  that  require  but  nine. 

We  know  that  many  of  the  women  engaged  to  sew  for 
slop-shops  spend  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours,  out  of  the  twenty- 
four,  at  their  needle.  Shirts,  coats,  vests,  and  pantaloons 
for  men,  and  cloaks  and  mantillas  for  women,  are  the  chief 
articles  for  which  the  lowest  wages  are  paid,  in  proportion 
to  the  time  required  to  make  them. 

In  some  of  the  most  fashionable  dress-making  establish 
ments  of  London,  during  the  busy  season,  which  occupies 
about  one  third  of  the  year,  the  usual  number  of  hours  for 
work  is  fifteen.  But  in  times  of  pressure,  which  often  occur, 
this  number  runs  to  eighteen.  In  some  establishments,  in 
London,  the  young  women  do  not  get  more  than  six,  some 
times  four,  sometimes  three,  and  now  and  then  not  more 
than  two  hours  for  sleeping,  and  some  even  work  all  night. 
The  proprietors  of  some  houses  there,  that  would  like  the 
credit  of  being  humane,  begin  at  four  A.M.  and  close  at 
eleven  P.  M. 

In  London,  in  1853,  about  fifty  millinery  and  dress-making 
establishments  entered  into  an  agreement,  that  they  would 
not  require  the  services  of  their  work  hands  for  more  than 


WOMEN  LABOR    TOO   LONG.  105 

twelve  hours,  during  seven  months  of  the  year,  and  thirteen 
and  a  half  during  the  remaining  five  mouths,  including  an 
hour  and  a  half  for  meals.  It  was  found,  during  the  next 
year,  that  quite  a  number  had  broken  the  contract. 

u  The  workwomen  for  good  slop-shops,"  says  Mayhew, 
"  that  give  fair,  or  tolerably  fair  wages,  and  expect  good  work, 
can  make  six  averaged  sized  mantles  in  a  week,  working 
from  ten  to  twelve  hours  a  day  ;  but  the  slop-workers,  by 
toiling  from  thirteen  to  sixteen  hours  a  day,  will  make  nine 
such  sized  mantles  in  a  week.  In  the  season  of  twelve 
weeks,  one  thousand  workers  for  the  slop-shops,  and  ware 
houses,  would,  at  this  rate,  make  one  hundred  and  eight 
thousand  mantles,  or  thirty-six  thousand  more  than  for  the 
fair  trade.  Or,  to  put  it  in  another  light,  these  slop-women, 
by  being  compelled,  in  order  to  live,  to  work  such  over-hours, 
as  inflict  lasting  injury  on  the  health,  supplant,  by  their  over 
work  and  over-hours,  the  labor  of  five  hundred  hands,  work 
ing  the  regular  hours." 

k'  Can  this  be  true  in  a  Christian  land  ?  Are  the  delicate 
frames  of  mere  girls  ground  down,  exhausted,  withered,  by 
this  inhuman  trade,  by  labor  that  runs  over  the  ten  hours 
of  man's  day  of  labor  ?  Are  all  the  show,  and  glitter,  and 
gayety,  and  fine  apparel,  and  fashionable  attire  of  the  women 
of  higher  rank  bought  at  the  price  of  such  suffering  of  mind, 
and  body,  as  is  involved  in  labors  of  such  length  ?  Is  it 
true  that  the  female  drudges  of  the  lower  female  world  are 
oppressed  with  something  that  approaches  the  reality  of 
Egyptian  bondage?  What  under-currents  of  misery  there 
are,  which  do  not  meet  the  eye  as  it  glances  along  the  glit 
tering  shops  of  our  large  towns  !  The  world  has  a  gay  frontis 
piece,  but  there  are  hideous  pages  in  the  book." 

Bulwer,  in  his  "  Monarchy  of  the  Middle  Classes  "  says, 
"  Prolonged  and  exhausting  labor,  continued  from  day  to 
day,  and  from  year  to  year,  is  not  calculated  to  develop  the 
intellectual,  or  moral  faculties  of  man.  The  dull  routine  of 
ceaseless  drudgery,  in  which  the  same  mechanical  process  is 
incessantly  repeated,  resembles  the  torment  of  Sisyphus,  — 
toil,  like  the  rock,  recoils  perpetually  on  the  wearied  operative. 


106        WOMEN  LABOR  TOO  LONG. 

The  mind  gathers  neither  stores  nor  strength  from  the  con 
stant  extension  of  the  muscles.  The  intellect  slumbers  in 
supine  inertness,  but  the  grosser  parts  of  our  nature  attain  a 
rank  development.  To  condemn  man  to  such  severity  of 
toil,  is,  in  some  measure,  to  cultivate  in  him  the  habits  of  an 
animal.  He  becomes  restless.  He  disregards  the  distin 
guishing  appetite  and  habits  of  his  species.  He  lives  in 
squalid  wretchedness,  on  meagre  food,  and  expends  his 
superfluous  gains  in  debauchery." 

It  is  related  by  the  commissioners,  appointed  by  Parlia 
ment  to  investigate  the  factory  system  of  England,  that  some 
cases  were  found,  among  the  women,  of  the  plantar  arch  of 
the  foot  having  given  way.  One  deformity  was  known  by 
the  name  of  the  factory  leg,  and  curvature  of  the  spine  was 
common.  Some  women  stated  to  the  commissioners  that 
they  often  had  to  do  without  their  breakfast  for  want  of 
time  to  eat  it.  Pains  in  the  limbs,  back,  loins,  and  sides, 
were  often  so  great  from  standing  that  the  children  could 
not  sleep,  and  they  were  sometimes  known  to  faint  from  fa 
tigue,  and  often  the  overseer  would  have  to  scold  and  whip 
them  to  keep  them  awake.  At  night,  after  labor  was  over, 
children  were  often  found  hid  in  the  store,  among  the  wool, 
rather  than  go  home.  A  witness  stated  he  had  often  seen 
them  dragged  out  of  the  store,  and  beaten  out  of  the  mill. 
An  old  man  that  had  charge  of  a  poorhouse,  where  injured 
operatives  were  brought,  remarked  to  one  of  the  commission 
ers,  "  I've  gotten  no  head  for  numbers,  but  this  I  know, 
that  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  accidents  as  corned  in, 
happened  in  the  last  two  hours,  when  folk  gettiii'  tired,  and 
careless." 

Many  operatives  require  stimulants,  to  keep  up  their 
strength,  so  that  they  may  fill  their  hours  of  labor.  It  is 
said  that  there  is  much  opium-eating  among  the  work-girls 
of  Philadelphia.  Most  of  them  return  from  their  work  with 
their  physical  strength  exhausted,  their  vitality  gone,  and 
the  desire  to  eat  something,  and  drop  to  sleep,  is  para 
mount  to  every  other.  What  time  have  they  for  moral  and 
mental  culture  ?  A  few  of  those  who  are  not  required  to 


WOMEN  LABOR  TOO  LONG.         107 

labor  so  long,  feel  that  after  the  exertions  of  the  day  they 
should  go  to  some  place  of  amusement.  There  they  are  apt 
to  fall  in  bad  company,  for  such  places,  as  would  be  likely 
to  entertain  them  profitably,  they  cannot  pay  to  attend. 

Women  and  children  under  the  old  factory  system  of  Eng 
land  worked  twelve  hours,  sometimes  fourteen,  and  some 
times  even  sixteen  hours  a  day.  Now  the  operatives  in  all 
the  principal  branches  of  textile  manufacture  in  Eugland 
work  ten  and  a  half  hours  a  day,  and  have  holiday  on  Satur 
day  after  two  P.  M. 

That  women  endure  as  long,  and  as  much,  as  men,  is  a 
rule,  and  not  an  exception,  though  physically  less  able  to  do 
so.  Men  do  not  work  as  hard  as  women,  and  therefore  are 
able  to  keep  in  harness  longer.  In  thousands  of  cases  the 
strain  upon  woman's  nervous  system,  and  brain,  is  beyond 
endurance,  as  the  grave,  and  the  lunatic  asylum,  can  testify. 
In  the  lower  classes  of  the  United  States  women  have  to 
work  too  long,  and  too  severely.  In  the  middle  and  higher 
classes,  the  majority  of  young  women  scarcely  work  at  all. 
It  would  be  well  if  the  work  could  be  more  evenly  adjusted. 
There  should  be  regular  hours  for  women  to  work,  just 
as  there  are  for  men.  Everything  should  be  done  in  mod 
eration.  Even  devotional  exercises  need  to  be  regulated  by 
reason.  It  is  sinful  for  a  man  to  spend  all  his  time  attend 
ing  church  service,  praying,  and  reading  the  Bible,  while 
his  wife  and  young  children  suffer  for  food  and  clothes.  A 
really  devout  spirit,  guided  by  judgment,  would  lead  him  to 
labor  as  well  as  pray. 

The  hours  for  work  are  very  irregular  in  metal  manu 
factures,  running  from  ten  to  thirteen  a  day,  but  in  some 
places  extend  to  fifteen  or  sixteen  a  day,  for  weeks  together. 
The  shops  are  dark,  and  those  used  for  stamping  are  several 
feet  below  ground,  and  consequently  cool  and  damp.  Wo 
men  are  more  employed  in  metal  manufactures  in  Europe 
than  in  this  country. 


108          OCCUPATIONS   OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 


OCCUPATIONS    OF   MEN   AND   WOMEN. 

THERE  is  not  the  same  disproportion  between  the 
means  of  subsistence,  and  employment,  in  the  United 
States,  that  exists  in  the  overstocked  cities  of  older  countries. 
In  the  old  settlements  of  Europe,  where  the  working  class 
is  larger  than  the  demand  for  its  services,  low  wages,  and 
want  of  employment,  are  the  common  cry. 

Twenty  years  ago  about  one  fifth  of  the  work-people  in 
the  cotton  manufactories  of  England,  were  men,  one  third 
women,  and  the  remainder  children  ;  but  the  proportion  is 
different  of  late  years. 

The  average  number  of  men  and  women  the  world  over 
is  the  same.  In  new  countries  there  is  a  majority  of  men,  in 
the  old  countries  there  is  a  majority  of  women.  More  are 
there  dependent  on  their  own  resources,  and  of  course  a 
larger  number  are  likely  to  fit  themselves  for  occupations. 

In  the  Northern  United  States  there  is  a  majority  over 
the  Southern  States  of  unmarried  women.  Of  course  the 
comparative  number  varies  in  different  places  ;  but  where 
there  is  a  majority  of  women,  we  find  there  is  a  larger  num 
ber  of  employments  pursued  by  women. 

The  more  a  nation  advances  in  civilization,  the  greater 
will  be  the  increase  of  employments.  Wants  will  increase 
with  the  means  to  gratify  them.  The  imagination  will  be 
taxed  to  produce  artificial  wants,  when  natural  ones  cease 
to  occupy  all  that  live  by  labor. 


INCREASED  NUMBER    OF  SINGLE    WOMEN.     109 


INCREASED   NUMBER  OF   SINGLE  WOMEN. 

"  TT  appears  that  there  is  a  natural  excess  of  four  or 
J-  five  per  cent,  of  females,  over  the  males,  in  English 
population.  There  is,  however,  an  actual  ratio  of  thirty  per 
cent,  of  women  now  in  England  who  never  marry,  leaving 
one  fourth  of  both  sexes  in  a  state  of  celibacy.  This  differ 
ence  further  appears  to  be  constantly  on  the  increase." 
"  Two  women  in  five  of  the  whole  number  of  English 
women  are  unmarried."  According  to  the  "  National  Re 
view,"  of  April,  1862,  the  actual  proportion  of  women  in 
Great  Britain,  above  twenty  years  of  age,  who  must  and  ought 
to  be  single,  being  six  per  cent.,  the  actual  proportion  who  are 
single,  is  thirty  per  cent. ;  but  of  every  one  hundred  females, 
of  twenty  years  of  age,  and  upward,  fifty-seven  are  ivives., 
thirteen  are  widows,  and  thirty  are  spinsters.  Aside  from 
the  want  of  opportunity  of  single  women  to  marry,  are  the 
want  of  health,  cold  hearts,  independent  tempers,  or  indul 
gent  selfishness.  One  million  and  a  half  are  unmarried 
females.  Of  this  number  half  a  million  are  wanted  in  the 
colonies,  half  a  million  in  domestic  service,  and  half  a  mil 
lion  are  to  be  disposed  of  in  some  other  way."  "  In  Great 
Britain  there  is  so  much  poverty,  that  marriage  in  the  lower 
classes  is  discouraged  by  political  economists,  parish  over 
seers,  tax-payers,  and  government."  "  Of  women  at  the 
age  of  twenty,  and  upward,  forty-three  out  of  every  one 
hundred  in  England  and  Wales  are  unmarried." 

If  there  is  any  discrepancy  in  the  statements  made,  as  to 
the  exact  proportions  of  the  sexes  who  marry,  it  will  be  con 
sidered  that  the  quotations  are  from  different  authorities. 

The  average  number  of  marriages,  in  the  United  States,  is 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  marriageable  women.  Therefore 


110    INCREASED  NUMBER    OF  SINGLE    WOMEN. 

twenty-five  out  of  every  one  hundred  are  not  engaged  in 
the  duties  of  matrimonial  life.  According  to  the  census  of 
1860,  there  were,  before  the  war,  in  Massachusetts,  thirty- 
seven  thousand  more  women  than  men ;  in  Connecticut, 
eight  thousand  ;  in  New  Hampshire,  seven  thousand  ;  in 
New  York,  eleven  thousand.  There  are,  at  the  present  time, 
over  seventy  thousand  moro  women  in  Massachusetts  than 
men.  It  is  said  that  one  third  of  them  are  either  unmarried 
or  childless.  Many  single  men  of  the  Northern  States  emi 
grate  to,  and  settle  in,  new  countries,  or  engage  in  some 
roving  occupation,  while  many  married  men  seek  employ 
ment  away  from  home,  in  mills,  factories,  and  workshops, 
spending  years  trying  to  accumulate  property  that  they  may 
send  for  their  families,  or  render  them  more  comfortable  on 
their  return. 

In  California,  a  few  years  back,  there  was  a  loud  call  for 
wives  for  the  miners.  Mrs.  Farnharn  saw  the  necessity  for 
women  in  California,  and  offered  to  take  a  large  number  out ; 
but  she  was  ridiculed,  and  her  motives  maligned.  There  is 
still  a  need  of  respectable  women  there.  A  man  remarked 
to  me  that  there  are  too  many  women  in  the  world,  and  sug 
gested  that  some  be  transferred  to  California.  He  thought 
by  sending  them  to  agricultural  countries,  where  there  are 
manufactories,  they  could  get  work  as  operatives,  and  at  the 
same  time  have  good  opportunities  of  marrying  farmers. 
As  a  general  thing,  there  are  most  men  in  the  country  — 
most  women  in  the  city.  According  to  the  calculation  of 
one  who  gave  some  attention  to  the  subject,  there  is  in  New 
York  city  a  proportion  of  women  to  men  as  three  to  two. 
His  remedy  was,  that  one  third  of  the  women  be  sent  to 
where  there  is  the  same  surplus  of  men  ;  that  is,  where  men 
are  in  the  proportion  to  women  of  three  to  two.  Such  places 
offer  in  the  new  States  and  Territories  of  the  Great  West. 

In  an  article  styled  "  Woman  in  Society,"  the  statement 
is  made,  that  "  in  California  there  are  three  men  to  every 
woman  ;  in  Washington,  four  men  to  every  woman  ;  in  Ne 
vada,  eight  men  to  every  woman  ;  and  in  Colorado  there  are 
to  every  woman  twenty  men." 


INCREASED  NUMBER    OF  SINGLE    WOMEN.     Ill 

The  number  of  single  women  increases  with  the  advance 
of  civilization  and  refinement.  As  nations  advance  in 
wealth,  the  people  are  apt  to  acquire  luxurious  and  effemi 
nate  habits,  that  unfit  them  for  exertion.  The  women 
become  delicate,  and  the  men  idle  and  self-indulgent.  The 
ancient  marriage  custom  of  paying  for  a  wife  in  flocks,  or 
land,  or  money,  or  labor,  is  reversed.  The  bride  is  now 
expected,  if  belonging  to  a  wealthy  family,  to  receive  a 
marriage  portion.  The  fact  does  not  arise  so  much  from  a 
greater  inability  to  appreciate  women,  as  from  the  more 
expensive  habits  of  people,  the  greater  wealth  needed  to 
supply  those  habits,  and  the  less  profitable  nature,  pecun 
iarily,  of  women. 

"  Increased  habits  of  luxury  must  lessen  the  chance  of 
estimable  offers  ;  women,  therefore,  ought  to  accustom  them 
selves  to  those  pursuits,  which  will  render  them  less  depen 
dent  on  the  other  sex,  or  enliven  those  lonely  hours  of 
retirement  which  frequently  fall  to  the  lot  of  poorly  por 
tioned  celibacy.  It  is  not  only  necessary  that  they  should 
be  economical,  but  that  they  should  have  a  general  knowl 
edge  of  business  and  money  transactions,  at  least  sufficient 
to  escape  imposition.  To  this  should  be  added  activity  of 
mind,  that  they  may  avoid  the  ennui  inseparable  from  idle 
ness,  and  the  diseases  incident  to'  a  sedentary  life.  Improv 
ing  study  of  all  kinds,  is  here  a  most  valuable  acquisition  ; 
and  elegant  accomplishments  cannot  be  pursued  with  too 
much  avidity,  provided  they  do  not  injure  the  health," 

Now  that  marriages  are  becoming  more  rare,  rich  women 
must  have  something  else  to  occupy  their  thoughts,  and  poor 
ones  some  means  for  gaining  a  livelihood.  In  addition  to 
the  causes  we  have  mentioned,  the  decrease  of  men  by  the 
war  in  this  country,  will  make  the  number  of  marriages 
still  less.  More  than  a  million  of  women  have  been  deprived 
of  their  property,  or  of  those  on  whom  they  depend  for  a  sup» 
port.  The  houses  of  numbers  in  the  Southern  States,  have 
been  destroyed  ;  they  have  been  deprived  of  their  servants  ; 
their  families  have  been  broken  up  ;  some  have  had  all  the 
prejudice  and  animosity  of  political  difference  brought  to 


112   INCREASED  NUMBER    OF  SINGLE    WOMEN. 

bear  against  them,  and  so  thousands  of  women  are  deprived 
of  their  all.  But  in  the  Southern  States  there  is  a  unity  of 
feeling,  and  unselfishness,  that  will  supply  women  with  the 
necessaries  of  life  while  they  are  to  be  had  ;  and  the  women 
have  acted  nobly  toward  each  other,  have  cheerfully  under 
gone  privations,  and  performed  work  of  which  their  fair 
hands  had  no  experience  previous  to  the  war.  In  the 
Northern  States,  many  thousands  have  been  deprived  of 
the  comforts  of  life  by  the  death,  or  wounds,  or  unknown 
fate  of  husbands,  fathers,  brothers,  and  other  relatives. 
Large  numbers  of  these  women  are  working,  or  seeking 
work,  to  earn  the  bread  of  life.  Many  others  are  incapa 
ble  of  work,  or  ignorant  where  to  obtain  it  and  how  to  per 
form  it. 

The  number  of  single  women  in  this  country,  possessing 
property,  is  small  compared  with  those  that  are  dependent. 
If  their  property  and  energies  would  open  new  fields  of 
employment  for  the  dependent,  how  noble  would  their  lives 
be  !  How  warmly  would  their  memories  be  embalmed  in 
the  hearts  of  their  countrywomen  ! 

During  the  reign  of  Augustus  Caesar,  the  greatest  encour 
agement  was  given  to  matrimony  in  the  Romish  Empire. 
When  the  people  were  numbered,  any  man  who  had  not  a 
wife,  was  subject  to  a  fine,  and  those  who  were  without, 
were  not  allowed  to  give  their  oath  in  the  tribunals. 

u  Let  us  bear  in  mind,"  says  Mrs.  Jameson,  "  that  for 
every  man  who  does  not  provide  a  home,  there  must  exist  a 
woman  who  must  make,  or  find,  a  home  for  herself,  some 
how  and  somewhere."  The  virtue  of  a  man  may  be  sus 
pected  who  sneers  at  marriage. 

"  Out  of  six  millions  of  women,  above  twenty  years  of 
aye,  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales,  more  than  two  mil 
lions  are  independent  in  their  industry  —  are  self-supporting, 
like  men,"  while  in  England  alone,  three  million  of  women, 
or  half  its  female  population,  are  engaged  in  paid  labor. 
Fifteen  thousand  of  that  number  are  governesses. 

"  In  a  community  where  a  larger  proportion  of  women 
remain  unmarried  than  at  any  known  period ;  where  a 


INCREASED  NUMBER    OF  SINGLE    WOMEN.     113 

greater  number  of  women  depend  on  their  own  industry  for 
subsistence  ;  where  every  pair  of  hands,  moved  by  an  intel 
ligent  head,  is  in  request ;  and  where  improved  machinery 
demands  more  and  more  of  the  skilled  labor  which  women 
can  supply,  how  can  there  be  a  doubt  that  the  women  will 
work  more  and  more,  and  in  aggregate  ways,  as  combina 
tion  becomes  better  understood  and  practiced?" 

John  Robertson,  in  a  paper  entitled  4*  Thoughts  on  the 
Excess  of  Adult  Females  in  the  Population  of  Great  Brit 
ain,"  with  reference  to  its  causes  and  consequences,  says, 
'•  I  endeavored  to  show  that  the  female  sex,  in  Christian 
countries,  are  probably  designed  for  duties  more  in  number, 
and  in  importance,  than  have  yet  been  assigned  them.  The 
reasons  were,  that  above  the  twentieth  year,  in  all  fully 
peopled  states,  whether  in  Europe  or  in  North  America, 
women  considerably  outnumber  the  other  sex  ;  and  that,  as 
this  excess  is  produced  by  causes  which  remain  in  steady 
operation,  we  detect  therein  a  natural  law,  and  may  allow 
ably  infer  that  it  exists  for  beneficent  social  ends,  —  ends, 
amongst  others,  such  as  those  I  am  attempting  to  explain 
and  recommend.  In  carrying  out  these  and  various  other 
objects  of  importance,  I  am  persuaded  that  the  agency  of 
the  female  sex  is  necessary,  and  that  without  the  well-organ 
ized  aid  of  benevolent  and  educated  women,  municipal  gov 
ernment  will  ever  remain  limited  and  imperfect." 
8 


114  MORE  POOR    WOMEN  THAN  MEN. 


MORE   POOR  WOMEN   THAN   MEN. 

THERE  are  almost  twice  as  many  poor  women,  in  dif 
ferent  countries,  as  poor  men  —  the  proportions  being 
forty-six  to  twenty-seven.  Probably  one  third  of  the  Amer 
ican  adult  population  is  dependent  on  another  third.  It  is 
right — a  duty  for  men  to  support  their  wives  always,  and 
their  daughters,  and  sisters,  until  they  are  thoroughly  edu 
cated,  and  prepared  to  support  themselves.  And  then,  a 
man  should  be  ready  to  assist  daughters  and  sisters,  and 
direct  them  how  best  to  succeed. 

The  number  of  poor  in  this  country,  both  men  and  wo 
men,  is  becoming  fearfully  large.  Besides,  the  number  of 
paupers  (i.  e.,  those  dependent  on  public  charity)  is  increas 
ing,  though  it  is  mostly  confined  to  immigrants.  Is  there 
no  vagrant  act,  or  is  it  not  carried  into  execution  ?  We 
should  think  not,  in  some  of  our  large  cities,  from  the  num 
ber  of  able-bodied  foreigners  that  throng  the  streets,  thrust 
ing  into  the  face,  or  hands,  of  every  passer  by,  a  paper,  or 
book,  descriptive  of  real  or  pretended  affliction.  The  most 
heart-sickening  feature,  however,  is  the  idleness  and  degra 
dation  in  which  most  paupers,  and  some  of  the  poor  that  are 
not  paupers,  rear  their  children. 

In  order  to  make  the  wicked,  who  are  destitute,  virtuous, 
first  feed  and  clothe  them.  They  can  better  listen  to  in 
struction  and  counsel  when  comfortable.  Much  crime  un 
doubtedly  arises  from  inability  to  supply  physical  wants 
honestly.  Give  the  poor  well-rewarded  labor,  not  alms. 
The  poor  are  often  charged  with  being  improvident.  They 
spend  lavishly  while  they  have  anything,  and  then  suffer 
want.  They  seem  unable  to  regulate  their  expenditures 
judiciously.  It  arises  from  not  being  trained  to  habits  of 


MORE  POOR    WOMEN  THAN  MEN.  115 

prudence,  system,  and  economy.  They  are  usually  generous 
to  those  of  their  own  class  that  are  in  want,  and  in  that  re 
spect  they  might  shame  many  that  rank  higher  in  the  social 
scale.  To  have  a  place  of  safe  deposit  for  their  surplus 
funds,  however  trivial  in  amount,  is  calculated  to  encourage 
a  provident  feeling.  It  will  render  them  industrious  and 
economical. 

The  excess  of  females  in  cities  arises,  in  part,  from  a 
greater  number  of  employments  being  open  to  them.  An 
other  cause  is  the  great  variety  and  excitement,  and  the 
superior  social  and  religious  advantages,  afforded  by  a  city 
life.  In  many  parts  of  the  country  there  is  need  for  female 
help,  but  principally  in  the  branches  of  domestic  labor. 

Women  who  have  been  reared  in  the  country,  and  come 
to  town  to  live,  and  there  meet  with  reverse  of  fortune,  are 
even  more  helpless  than  those  who  have  grown  up  in  the 
city.  For  the  last  mentioned  have  learned  more  of  the 
resources  open  to  women  for  gaining  a  livelihood,  and  they 
are  more  likely  to  have  friends  that  can  direct  them.  Be 
sides,  they  are  not  so  apt  to  be  distracted  by  the  noise,  cou- 
fufiion,  and  excitements  of  the  city. 

A  virtuous  woman,  on  the  score  of  her  sex,  has  claims 
on  society  when  she  is  destitute  or  desolate.  The  old,  and 
diseased,  and  young  children,  should  always,  on  account  of 
their  helplessness,  be  provided  for  —  indeed,  all  unable  to 
work  should  certainly  be  sustained.  It  is  an  awful  thing 
that  a  woman  may  starve  or  freeze  because  she  cannot 
obtain  remunerative  work.  It  is  a  disgrace  to  any  commu 
nity.  A  fund  should  be  set  apart  by  every  state  and  city  to 
furnish  employment  to  such  at  reasonable  prices.  Many  work 
women  fare  worse  than  brutes.  Their  subsistence  is  more 
uncertain.  They  have  not  wherewithal  to  obtain,  while  brutes 
can  .obtain  subsistence,  if  at  liberty  to  seek  it.  Some  desti 
tute,  yet  virtuous  women,  are  not  treated  as  well  as  the 
horses  and  servants  of  the  rich.  They  are  always  provided 
with  food,  and  made  comfortable  ;  but  in  many  cases  in  our 
large  cities,  educated  mothers  of  men  that  are  to  be  are  not 
made  comfortable.  They  suffer  from  cold,  and  hunger,  and 


116      MORE  POOR  WOMEN  THAN  MEN. 

the  want  of  attention  in  sickness.  Hard  times,  the  season 
of  the  year,  or  an  existing  epidemic,  is  often  made  an 
excuse  by  so-called  benevolent  societies  and  government  offi 
cers  :  but  in  many  cases  there  is  no  foundation  for  such  an 
excuse;  and  if  there  were,  it  is  not  justifiable.  There 
would  not  be  so  many  infanticides,  nor  so  many  idiotic,  in 
sane,  deformed,  feeble,  nervous  children,  if  more  attention 
was  paid  by  city  and  state  authorities  to  making  comfort 
able  and  wholesome  provision  for  the  poor  women  of  their 
various  communities.  Vienna  sets  an  example  to  the  rest 
of  the  world  in  the  provision  it  makes  for  mothers. 

u  At  one  time  in  Peru,  all  industry  was  controlled  and 
managed  by  the  state,  the  inhabitants  being  laid  out  into 
castes  or  professions,  and  the  very  hours  of.  work  regulated 
by  the  authority  of  the  Incas." 

When  government  or  society  provides  remunerative  labor 
to  those  capable  of  performing  it,  and  sees  that  such  labor  is 
actually  paid  for,  no  further  obligation  exists.  They  are 
not  under  obligation  to  furnish  food,  fuel,  and  clothing  to 
the  idle. 

What  woman  in  a  city  is  there  engaged  in  non-domestic 
manual  labor  for  a  support  that  can  lay  by  one  dollar,  two 
dollars,  or  three  a  week?  Many  of  these  women  would  be 
glad  to  hire  themselves  by  the  year  for  their  food  and  cloth 
ing  What  destiny  awaits  the  children  of  such  women? 
What  time  has  the  mother  to  form  and  establish  the  charac 
ter  of  her  children,  even  if  she  be  competent?  Will  a  con 
tinual  groveling  in  the  dust  to  obtain  enough  to  keep  life  in 
the  body,  will  the  wretchedness  and  misery  that  arise  from 
such  extreme  poverty,  be  likely  to  produce  creditable  citi- 
ZCI1S  —  moral  and  intellectual  beings  ? 

Compare  the  number  of  old  women  seeking  work,  or  ask 
ing  charity,  in  the  streets  of  a  city,  with  men  occupied  in 
the  same  way,  and  which  is  the  larger?  Compare  their 
condition.  Which  has  the  more  haggard,  careworn,  over 
worked  appearance? 

It  would  startle  persons  in  better  circumstances  to  learn 
the  lar«-e  number  of  worthless  and  dissipated,  or  indolent 


MORE  POOR    WOMEN  THAN  MEN.  117 

men,  who  do  nothing  to  support  their  families.  The  num 
ber  of  married  women,  in  New  York  city,  that  earn  a  liv 
ing  for  themselves  and  their  children,  and,  in  numerous 
cases,  for  their  husbands  also,  would  amaze  any  but  a  New 
Yorker,  or  a  stranger  in  the  city  who  has  learned  the  fact 
from  observation.  Nor  is  the  fact,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  con 
fined  to  New  York,  that  a  large  number  of  children  among 
the  poor,  and  men  also,  are  supported  by  the  hard  work  of 
the  women.  O,  the  crying  sin,  the  shame,  the  disgrace,  of 
a  strong,  healthy  man,  not  only  neglecting  to  provide  for  his 
family,  but  even  spending  the  earnings  of  his  wife  !  But  a 
day  of  retribution  is  coming,  and  terrible  will  it  be  !  Many 
a  struggle,  that  God  only  knows,  is  made,  even  in  the  mid 
dle  walks  of  life,  by  some  wives  and  mothers,  to  provide  for 
their  families,  and  keep  up  an  air  of  respectability. 

Women  in  nearly  every  country,  except  France  and  Great 
Britain,  occupy  subordinate  positions  in  business.  They 
should,  unless  they  are  properly  qualified  to  occupy  higher 
ones.  Every  woman  should  be  so  fitted  to  meet  life  that 
she  can  earn  a  support  by  her  industry. 


118  ADVANTAGE   OF  AN  OCCUPATION. 


ADVANTAGE   OF  AN   OCCUPATION. 

SOME  people  say  no  woman  should  ever  have  to  labor 
for  a  living  ;  that  it  is  a  reflection  on  men.  It  may 
be  ;  yet  that  many  thousands  of  women,  in  the  United  States 
and  other  countries,  do  have  to  labor  for  a  living,  is  an  in 
disputable  fact.  Some  women  fly  to  matrimony  as  a  refuge 
from  poverty,  or  a  reverse  of  fortune  ;  but  this  is  not  always 
a  security.  If  a  woman  marries  advantageously  it  is  well ; 
but  it  is  a  misfortune  for  her  to  marry  because  she  is  un 
qualified  to  earn  a  livelihood. 

To  me  nothing  seems  so  essential  for  a  human  being, 
whether  man  or  wroman,  as  knowing  how  justly  and  honor 
ably  to  provide  for  the  physical  wants.  Every  woman  should 
be  able  to  turn  her  labor,  either  mental  or  manual,  into 
money.  If  she  is  poor,  she  can  use  her  knowledge  of  busi 
ness  to  advantage  ;  if  rich,  she  will  have  it  as  a  dead  capi 
tal,  that  may  any  day  require  to  be  brought  into  use. 

The  struggle  made  in  early  life  to  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  a  profession  or  trade,  is  a  discipline,  both  physical  and 
mental,  the  good  effects  of  which  never  cease.  Both  mind 
and  body  gather  strength  by  the  effort.  Knowledge  is  the 
groundwork  for  obtaining  a  livelihood,  and  the  greater  an 
individual's  knowledge,  if  of  a  practical  kind,  the  greater 
such  a  one's  facilities  for  obtaining  wealth  and  power. 

The  majority  of  women  have  not  been  expected  to  earn 
a  livelihood,  and  that  may  be  one  reason  that  women  have 
not  been  more  thoroughly  and  extensively  educated.  But 
as  the  refinements,  and  corruption,  of  society  increase,  a 
less  number  of  people  marry.  And  as  no  woman  knows 
but  she  may  be  the  bread  finder  for  herself,  or  even  a  fara- 


ADVANTAGE   OF  AN  OCCUPATION.  119 

ily,  does  it  not  behoove  her  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  some 
means  by  which  to  do  so  ? 

In  *11  densely  settled  communities  it  is  not  less  important 
that  institutions  be  established  for  imparting  a  practical 
knowledge  of  trades,  arts,  and  professions,  than  institutions 
for  giving  instruction  in  book  knowledge.  Especially  is  it 
needed  for  women.  Prejudice  and  vanity  may  oppose  it, 
but  common  sense  and  humanity  require  it. 

Without  some  kind  of  employment  we  cannot  enjoy  good 
health.  See  those  whose  circumstances  in  life  are  such 
that  they  have  no  occasion  to  take  exercise,  or  spend  any 
time  in  the  open  air. 

If  women  were  furnished  with  a  practical  knowledge  of 
employments  it  would  promote  morality.  Brought  up  to 
feel  and  think,  as  many  are,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  men  to 
support  them, -they  care  not  to  prepare  themselves  for  doing 
so  ;  consequently  many  are  tempted  to  commit  errors,  for 
which  they  are  doomed  to  eternal  beggary  and  degradation. 
Have  not.  women  as  great  need  of  force  of  character  as 
men?  Truly  their  temptations  to  err,  though  of  a  different 
kind,  are  quite  as  great. 

But  looking  at  the  subject  with  regard  to  happiness,  is 
not  a  woman's  happiness  as  greatly  promoted  by  learning 
of  a  useful,  every-day  kind,  as  a  man's  ?  Is  she  not  more 
cheerful,  when  she  has  active,  regular  employment?  And 
as  to  the  influence  of  her  learning,  may  she  not  make  an 
impress,  on  a  young  and  plastic  mind,  as  powerful  in  its 
results  as  can  be  made  on  the  mind  of  an  adult?  May  not 
the  result  of  cultivation  in  her,  stamp  on  the  youthful  mind 
a  force,  a  discipline,  and  ability  to  think,  that  may  work 
wonders  equal  to  those  of  a  Newton,  a  Bacon,  or  Locke? 

By  the  law  of  Solon,  children  were  acquitted  from  main 
taining  those  parents,  in  old  age,  who  had  neglected  to  in 
struct  them  in  some  profitable  trade.  It  was  customary 
among  the  Hebrews  for  all  the  sons  to  learn  a  trade,  how 
ever  highly  they  might  be  educated,  or  however  wealthy  the 
family  might  be. 

To  give  a  young  lady  a  profession  does  not  cost  more 


120  ADVANTAGE   OF  AN  OCCUPATION. 

than  is  usually  expended  for  the  accomplishments  ;  and  O, 
how  much  more  profitable  it  may  prove  !  The  develop 
ment  and  discipline  of  her  faculties,  aside  from  the  infor 
mation  gained,  would  be  invaluable. 

Women  in  the  middle  class  should  enter  the  industrial 
world — that  world  engrossing  the  time  and  attention  of 
men  of  their  own  class  —  in  order  to  gain  a  proper  posi 
tion,  a  sure  foothold.  If  such  a  one  marries,  her  husband  will 
value  her  more  highly,  and  her  experience,  and  training, 
prove  useful  in  raising  her  children.  Woman's  character  is 
strengthened,  her  mind  enlarged,  and  her  feelings  rendered 
more  independent,  by  the  activities  of  a  business  life. 

When  the  Cossack  men  are  absent  from  home,  their  wives 
take  their  places,  and  perform  their  labor  in  addition  to 
their  own.  Almost  every  Cossack  woman  has  a  knowledge 
of  some  trade,  as  tanning  leather,  dyeing  cloth,  &c. 

In  houses  of  industry,  girls  should  be  prepared  for  some 
regular  pursuit,  and  should  be  well  qualified  for  it,  if  it  be 
but  nursing  a  child.  In  most  cases  a  few  mouths,  only  are 
given  to  learning  the  millinery  or  dress-making  business. 
Perhaps  a  girl's  time  and  attention  are  confined  to  one  part 
of  the  trade  ;  for  instance,  she  may  have  the  shopping  for 
materials  to  do,  and  learn  nothing  of  putting  them  together  ; 
or  in  dress-making  she  may  be  taught  to  sew  the  goods,  but 
is  not  taught  to  fit  and  baste.  This  last  is  not  at  all  un 
usual. 

If  men  will  give  their  daughters  a  practical  knowledge 
of  business,  they  need  not  be  so  anxious  to  get  them  mar 
ried,  that  they  may  relieve  themselves  of  the  expense  they 
incur,  nor  need  they  dread  to  die,  and  leave  them  alone  ; 
for  if  they  have  good  health,  and  industry,  their  own  busi 
ness  attainments  may  secure  them  a  livelihood.  The  acqui 
sition  of  any  valuable  knowledge  is  never  lost.  A  trade, 
or  a  profession,  is  a  capital. 

A  severe  struggle,  in  poor  health,  for  several  years,  to 
obtain  a  livelihood  among  strangers,  alone  and  unaided, 
taught  me  the  bitter  experience  of  a  woman  thrown  upon 
her  own  resources  without  practical  training.  A  thorough 


ADVANTAGE   OF  AN  OCCUPATION.  121 

English  education  enabled  me  to  teach  school,  and  so  main 
tain  myself. 

Not  a  great  while  since,  two  cases  illustrating  the  advan 
tage  of  an  efficient  knowledge  of  some  pursuit  came  under 
my  observation.     A  highly  respectable  foreign  family  that 
had  been  suddenly  reduced  in  fortune  came  to   Pittsburg. 
The  trip  was  very  long  and  tedious.     Crossing  the  ocean, 
the  son,  a  most  promising  young  man,  died,  and  his  father 
was  so  paralyzed  by  grief,  that  for  a  time  he  was  rendered 
unfit  for  the  common  duties  of  life,  much  less  business  trans 
actions.     On  arriving  at  Pittsburg,  their  place  of  destina 
tion,  the  family,  without  friends,  and  with  a  slender  purse, 
rented   a   small   cottage  in  the  suburbs  of  the  city.      The 
mother,  an    energetic,  warm-hearted   lady,  and   her  oldest 
daughter,  determined   to   make   profitable   their   knowledge 
of  music,  which  had  been  extensively  and  thoroughly  pur 
sued,  but  only  as  an   accomplishment.     When  I  met  this 
lady,  her  musical  talents,  affable   manners,  and  agreeable 
conversation,  soon  won  for  her  my  interest  and  kind  regard. 
Becoming  acquainted  with  her,  and  knowing  that  I  was  par 
tially  aware  of  the  circumstances  under  which  she  labored, 
she  gave  me  an  interesting  account  of  herself  and  family, 
and  at  the  conclusion  remarked,  "  Blessed  be  God  for  hav 
ing  given  me  the  means  of  now  assisting  in  the  honest  sup- 
po°rt°of   my   family.     Were   it  not  for   my   knowledge   of 
music,  1  see  not  how,  without  some  miraculous  interposi 
tion  of  Providence,  my  little  ones  could  be  fed  and  clothed." 
A  few  years  ago  a  similar  case  came  to  my  knowledge. 
A  gentleman,  talented,  but  unsuccessful   in   business,  died 
shortly  after  his  wife,  leaving  two  daughters  unprovided  for. 
Their  relatives  were  far  distant,  and  knew  nothing  of  the 
circumstances.      One  of  these  young  ladies  married  ;    the 
other,  on  ascertaining  the  state  of  her  father's  affairs,  learned 
a  trade.     She  never  married,  but  is  now  in  independent  cir 
cumstances,  always  contributing  to  benevolent  objects,  and 
has  entirely  educated  a  nephew,  who  is  actively  engaged  as 
a  minister  of  the  gospel.     She  was  remarkably  economical, 
and  self-denying,  in  the  expenditures  she  made  for  herself. 


122  THOSE   ENGAGED  IN  PURSUITS* 


WORDS   TO  THOSE  ENGAGED   IN   PURSUITS, 

IT  is  well  to  live  with  such  a  systematic  arrangement  of 
time  that  every  day  will  bring  its  plain  and  positive 
duties  to  perform.  Let  the  busy  hours  of  work  be  inter* 
spersed  with  enough  pleasures  to  impart  spirit  and  bright- 
nessi  Cultivate  a  youth  and  freshness  of  heart  that  will 
remain  an  evergreen  when  the  winter  of  old  age  creeps  on. 
Cultivate  easy  and  natural  manners,  and  the  love  of  simple 
and  delicate  beauty. 

Truth  and  integrity  are  the  base-work  of  every  virtue* 
Purity  of  thought,  feeling,  and  discourse  should  be  the  glory 
of  a  womank  Kindness  and  consideration  are  desirable 
traits,  particularly  in  social  and  domestic  life, 

Perseverance  in  business  will  accomplish  much.  A  mad 
in  New  York  is  reported  to  have  made  sixty  thousand  dol* 
lars  by  selling  lead  pencils  at  a  penny  apiece*  and  safely- 
investing  his  profits.  Another,  we  have  heard,  owns  two 
elegant  buildings  on  Broadway,  who  was  once  a  rag-gath 
erer  ;  and  one  an  elegant  dwelling  on  Fifth  Avenue,  who 
made  his  money  in  the  capacity  of  milk-^dealer. 

With  a  proper  knowledge  of  an  employment*  and  suitable 
qualifications,  a  woman  may  employ  capital  successfully  in 
carrying  on  her  business*  It  will  greatly  aid  her$  whether 
it  is  inherited)  or  bequeathed,  or  earned,  or  borrowed)  for 
it  is  a  wonderful  propeller  in  business.  Besides  the  profit 
accruing  to  the  possessor^  it  furnishes  labor  and  wages  to 
others.  Most  women  engaged  in  mechanical  avocations 
work  for  employers  —  for  men  with  capital  sufficient  to 
support  a  division  of  labor. 

The  great  elements  for  success  in  business  are  industry 
and  perseverance-.  Never  become  discouraged  and  give  up> 


THOSE  ENGAGED   IN  PURSUITS.  123 

unless  you  find  yourselves  unqualified,  by  education,  habits, 
and  health,  for  the  vocations  engaged  in.  Then  seek  others 
more  suitable  and  congenial.  Remember,  it  sometimes 
requires  greater  effort  to  bear  small  trials  patiently  than 
to  perform  great  works.  If  you  can  struggle  along,  in  a 
plain  way,  for  a  few  years,  you  will  be  likely  to  do  better 
than  to  borrow,  and  pay  a  high  interest.  But  never  trust 
others  to  attend  to  your  business,  if  you  can  possibly  avoid 
it.  See  to  it  yourselves  ;  otherwise  you  may  be  drawn  into 
a  whirlpool,  and  swallowed  up  by  hungry  creditors. 

"  My  heart's  sympathies,"  says  Mary  Howitt,  4*  go  with 
the  woman  who  labors  for  herself.  Through  all  the  diffi 
culties,  the  prejudices,  and  disadvantages  of  pushing  on  her 
course  through  life,  who  yet  does  it  bravely,  and  in  sin 
cerity,  — *•  such  a  woman  is  a  heroine." 

The  springing  footstep  and  buoyant  heart  lessen  the  labors 
and  trials  of  life.  Therefore,  lighten  each  other's  burdens. 
Look  upon  each  other  as  fellow-travelers.  Let  no  jealousy 
in  regard  to  your  employment  exist.  It  is  illiberal.  Be 
perfectly  candid  and  honest  in  your  intercourse  with  those 
that  have  any  sincere  intention  of  entering  into  the  same 
field  of  labor.  If  they  have  the  qualifications,  and  there  i* 
an  opening  in  the  business,  tell  them  so,  and,  as  nearly  as 
you  can,  the  prospect  of  success.  If  there  is  none,  do  not 
hesitate  to  say  so  —  that  no  false  hopes  be  excited,  to  meet 
disappointment,  chagrin,  and  perhaps  the  loss  of  limited 
means  on  which  the  individual  is  wholly  dependent.  Your 
attainments  and  experience  should  be  at  the  disposal  of 
others,  so  far  as  no  serious  sacrifice  to  yourselves  ia 
required. 

If  employed  by  others,  your  time  is  not  your  own  in 
\vork  ing-hours.  Use  it  honorably.  Be  punctual  at  work, 
and  regular  in  attendance.  Be  thorough  in  what  you  do. 
So  act  and  live  that  your  employers  may  appreciate  your 
worth  —  may  be  able  to  confide  in  you.  Be  faithful  to  the 
interests  of  your  employers,  and  show  that  you  can  appre 
ciate  kindness  from  them.  Treat  them  with  respect,  and 
you  will  be  mqre  likely  to  receive  their  protection.  If  not 


124  THOSE  ENGAGED   IN  PURSUITS. 

satisfactory  to  your  employer,  and  yon  cannot  convince  him 
of  your  usefulness,  seek  one  who  will  pay  you  more,  and 
better  appreciate  your  labor.  Controversy  and  struggle 
with  your  employer,  without  associates  similarly  situated, 
will  sour  your  temper,  and  do  no  good.  To  exhibit  a  spirit 
of  dissatisfaction  and  hatred  will  only  embarrass  you.  If 
all  your  time  cannot  be  profitably  occupied  in  one  establish 
ment,  endeavor  to  make  up  the  deficiency  in  another;  and 
if  you  cannot  find  work  in  one  locality  seek  it  in  another. 

Treat  your  associates  in  labor  with  kindness  and  sympa 
thy,  and  you  will  be  likely  to  receive  a  return  of  the  same. 
Let  your  friendships  be  virtuous  and  honorable  ;  let  sinceri'y 
and  mutual  confidence  characterize  the  connection  ;  let 
obliging  manners  and  respectful  intercourse  be  maintained 
—  then  will  the  charms  of  friendship  that  poets  have  sung, 
and  philosophers  admired,  lie  realized  ;  then  will  the  histories 
of  such  as  Damon  and  Pythias,  Orestes  and  Pylades,  Horace 
and  Maecenas,  be  known  among  your  sex  as  every-day  reali 
ties.  Life  and  spirit  are  infused  by  the  expression  of 
thought  and  feeling  —  by  sympathy  and  blending  of  soul. 
u  Love  one  another,  bear  with  one  another,  forgive  one 
another,  and  help  one  another  on  the  road  to  heaven  —  then 
will  your  hearts  be  filled  with  peace  and  joy,  and  your 
mouths  with  praise.'*  So  live  that  you  will  be  missed 
when  you  are  gone.  Endeavor  to  live  well  while  you  do 
live  —  leave  the  results  with  God.  A  bright,  glowing  gem, 
a  little  humming-bird,  a  floating  flower,  a  fire-fly  in  the 
night,  a  rainbow  through  the  storm  —  these  are  all  beauti 
ful,  but  they  bear  no  comparison  with  the  kind  words  from 
a  loving  heart.  Remember  this,  dear  ladies,  when  you  see 
some  fellow-pilgrim,  weary  and  worn. 

Be  neat  in  dress,  and  economical.  Board  in  well-con 
ducted,  clean,  respectable  houses,  in  a  good  portion  of  the 
city.  Be  careful  about  the  company  you  keep.  You  will 
be  judged  of,  to  some  extent,  in  that  way.  Try  and  avoid 
unfavorable  comparison  of  your  own  condition  with  that  of 
others.  The  early  part  of  your  life  may  be  sad  and  gloomy, 
poor  and  obscure,  but  the  latter  part  may  be  bright  and 


THOSE  ENGAGED   LV  PURSUITS, 

prosperous.  Almost  every  heart  is  oppressed  with  sorrow 
known  but  to  few,  and,  in  many  cases,  to  none  save  God. 
Do  not  imagine  you  have  more  trouble  than  any  one  else. 
Until  the  secrets  of  all  hearts  and  lives  are  made  known, 
you  cannot  judge  correctly,  or  make  a  proper  estimate  and 
comparison. 

Seize  every  opportunity  of  learning  all  you  can.  You 
will  rarely  meet  with  any  one  but  what  can  impart  some 
information  of  which  you  were  ignorant  before  — ?-  particu 
larly  in  traveling  will  you  find  it  the  case,  Of  course  a 
proper  reserve  and  decorum  are  requisite.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  made  it  a  point  to  converse  with  strangers  even 
when  traveling  in  a  stage-coach,  Never  be  ashamed  to 
ask  for  information.  Every  one  can  talk  on  that  line  of 
business,  at  least,  in  which  he  or  she  is  engaged.  It  is  said 
that  Hugh  Miller  gained  a  portion  of  his  fame  by  observa 
tions  and  remarks  on  subjects  connected  with  his  work,  as 
a  stonemason  and  quarry  man. 

Now  and  then  you  may  reach  chasms  in  the  road  of  life, 
but  let  me  beseech  you  to  bridge  them  with  faith  and  hope. 
When  you  reach  the  verge  of  such  a  chasm,  particularly  in 
pecuniary  matters,  gaze  not  into  its  depths,  but  gird  up  your 
loins,  start  anew  in  your  race,  and  trust  to  Him  who  ruleth 
in  the  heavens.  Terrible  are  such  hours  of  suffering,  and, 
without  a  living  faith,  are  apt  to  be  followed  by  a  restless, 
uneasy  state  of  discontent.  A  feverish  anxiety,  and  unset 
tled  state  of  mind,  will  unfit  you  for  concentrated  thought 
and  effort. 

Let  your  aims  be  pure  and  exalted.  Act  with  prudence 
and  principle,  under  all  circumstances  and  discouragements. 
Cultivate  those  qualities  that  will  make  you  noble,  dignified 
women,  whose  influence  is  for  good.  Think  for  yourselves, 
advance  with  the  age,  the  progress,  the  spirit  of  the  times. 

Steer  your  little  barques  on  as  smooth  water  as  you  can, 
for  storms  will  rise  on  the  sea  of  life  ;  that  sea  will  present 
shoals  and  quicksands,  therefore  prepare  to  sail  it  securely. 

The  position  that  you  occupy  depends,  to  some  extent,  on 
circumstances,  to  some  extent  on  yourselves.  If  you  do 
not  uphold  and  speak  favorably  of  your  sex,  how  can  you 


126  THOSE  ENGAGED   IN  PURSUITS. 

expect  men  to  do  so?  If  you  do  not  cultivate  your  minds, 
how  can  you  expect  educated  and  intelligent  men  to  respect 
you  for  anything  else  than  your  virtues  ?  You  cannot  do 
too  much  to  elevate  your  sex.  Women  have  not  enough 
respect  for  each  other,  and  too  much  for  the  other  sex. 
That  is  one  reason  they  do  not  succeed  better.  They  do 
not  speak  a  good  word  for,  and  sustain  each  other  in  what 
they  do  ;  so  their  faults,  as  a  class,  are  exaggerated.  You 
rarely  hear  men  slander  each  other.  If  there  is  nothing 
good  to  say,  they  are  silent.  It  gives  them  force,  and  in 
spires  confidence.  It  may  be  from  fear,  or  a  matter  of 
policy,  for  I  will  not  admit  that  the  mass  of  men  are,  in  any 
respect,  better  than  the  mass  of  women.  If  women  would 
act  in  the  same  way,  they  could  labor  more  effectually,  and 
more  for  their  good  as  individuals  and  as  a  class. 

In  marriage,  woman  must  become  socially  raised  by  her 
husband,  or  depress  her  husband.  She  cannot  elevate  him 
in  society.  A  moral  influence,  either  elevating  or  depress 
ing,  almost  invariably  takes  place  on  both  members  of  a 
conjugal  union. 

All  of  women's  mental  and  moral  powers  are  seldom,  if 
ever,  brought  into  action.  Women  nedNl  a  more  thorough 
cultivation  of  their  faculties,  and  a  more  complete  prepara 
tion  for  their  vocations. 

It  is  not  well  to  direct  the  thoughts  wholly  and  exclusively 
to  any  one  subject,  lest  the  mind  thereby  become  shallow, 
as  the  body  would  become  spare  and  thin,  if  fed  entirely  on 
one  article  of  food.  But  give  a  dominant  influence  to  some 
one  pursuit,  making  it  the  superior  and  controlling  power. 

No  profession  or  trade  is  exempt  from  some  difficulties. 
But  such  difficulties  can  usually  be  surmounted.  What  we 
accomplish  by  our  own  exertions  is  most  prized. 

By  honesty,  industry,  and  enterprise,  for  a  few  years,  some 
men  and  women,  in  the  most  common  occupations,  acquire 
character,  wealth,  and  influence,  and  engage  in  occupations 
greatly  superior  to  the  first.  Perseverance,  for  a  few  years, 
in  almost  any  occupation  for  which  there  is  an  opening,  will 
insure  success. 

If  a  woman  possesses  a  knowledge  of  some  employment, 


THOSE  ENGAGED  IN  PURSUITS.  127 

as  hat-making,  straw-braiding,  &c.,  let  licr,  on  going  to  a 
strange  city  for  employment,  if  she  has  no  friends  or  ac 
quaintances  in  the  place,  get  a  city  Directory,  and  look  over 
the  names  and  places  of  business  of  those  engaged  in  that 
craft,  and  then  make  application  for  work,  if  she  has  no 
one  to  do  it  for  her.  And  I  would  add,  do  not  rely  too 
much  npon  what  others  promise  they  will  do  for  you,  but 
make  an  effort  for  yourself.  If  possible,  take  letters  of 
introduction  when  you  go  to  the  city,  for  there  are  so  many 
impositions,  in  a  place  of  much  size,  that  your  claims  will 
not  be  recognized  without  some  tangible  proof. 

The  selfishness  of  a  city  is  so  general  and  so  thorough, 
that  a  stranger  in  it,  without  fame,  money,  or  friends,  may 
suffer  neglect  and  indifference.  A  lone  woman,  under  such 
circumstances,  is  likely  to  lose  her  kindliness,  patience,  and 
forbearance ;  to  become  suspicious  and  gloomy,  and,  in 
time,  callous.  On  this  account,  I  would  advise  a  working 
woman  to  secure  employment,  if  possible,  in  a  village,  town, 
or  the  country,  in  preference  to  a  city.  She  will  be  more 
likely  to  make  friends,  and  secure  a  permanent  home.  The 
poverty,  misery,  and  degradation  of  thousands  of  women  in 
our  great  cities,  have  arisen  partly  from  the  heartlessness 
and  selfishness  of  the  people,  and  partly  from  their  ignorance 
of  the  real  condition  of  those  about  them. 

Let  a  woman  strive  to  reflect  honor  on  her  pursuit,  not 
her  pursuit  on  her.  The  grade  of  a  profession  or  trade  is 
not  estimated  by  its  usefulness,  but  more  by  the  class  of 
persons  already  pursuing  the  vocation.  A  trade  does  not 
rank  as  high  as  a  profession,  in  public  opinion,  because 
most  tradesmen  are  uneducated.  Study  to  learn  if  your 
undertakings  are  feasible,  before  commenced.  There  must 
be  confidence,  and  firmness  of  will,  to  succeed.  Hesitation 
and  indecision  will  never  carry  you  through.  Determina 
tion  of  purpose,  in  a  good  cause,  will  carry  one  a  great  dis 
tance,  and  the  cause  too. 

NOTE.  I  would  recommend  to  my  readers  a  little  work  by  W.  G. 
Blaikie,  D.  D.,  entitled  "Better  Days  for  Working  People."  Tor 
sale  by  Kentledge  &  Son,  New  York. 


'128     CONDITION  OF   THE    WORKING   CLASSES, 


CONDITION   OF   THE  WORKING   CLASSES, 

BY  the  working  classes  we  meau  those  that  are  engaged 
in  manual  labor,  a  few  of  whom  are  well  educated, 
some  partially  so  ;  but  the  majority  are  very  limited  in  book 
learning,  or  have  none. 

The  education  of  the  laboring  classes  is  the  great  work 
of  this  age- — of  this  country,  as  it  is  in  fact  the  noblest 
work  of  every  age ;  for  just  in  proportion  as  they  are 
elevated,  are  intelligence,  abundance,  and  virtue  rendered 
more  universal ;  vice,  crime,  and  degradation  dissipated, 
and  security  and  the  respect  of  all  rights  established. 

The  majority  of  working  people  are  dependent  on  their 
wages  for  food,  clothing,  and  shelter.  Therefore  when 
wages  stop  the  necessaries  of  life  stop.  Most  work-people, 
in  the  lower  walks  of  life,  are  so  engrossed  in  their  efforts  to 
provide  for  themselves  and  families,  that  they  have  but  little 
time  for  social,  moral,  and  mental  culture.  And  in  the  time 
they  have,  their  thoughts  are  so  distracted  by  care,  that  they 
have  not  the  composure  necessary  for  real  improvement. 

In  the  Protestant  church  a  more  systematic  organization 
is  needed  cf  its  charities  and  reformatory  labors.  By  it  the 
Roman  Catholic  church  is  enabled  to  accomplish  an  untold 
amount  of  work. 

The  vices  of  civilization  are  too  often  a'dopted  by  the 
lower  classes  of  work-people,  without  their  virtues  and 
refinement.  Liquor  and  tobacco,  in  excessive  use,  are 
the  evils  that  are  working  most  misery  and  wretchedness 
among  the  laboring  classes.  Drunkenness  is  a  curse  by 
which  some  workmen  ruin  their  souls  and  bodies,  keep  their 
families  in  poverty,  and  eventually  destroy  them. 

The  coarsest  men  work  women  as  if  they  were  beasts  of 


CONDITION  OF   THE    WORKING   CLASSES.     129 

burden  made  for  naught  else,  and  have  no  respect  for  their 
opinions.  This  is  degradation  iu  the  extreme.  Where  wo- 
man  is  merely  a  slave  in  her  domestic,  or  industrial  life,  or 
regarded  as  an  inferior  being,  there  cannot  exist  men  of 
virtuous  and  correct  principles.  When  a  woman's  powers 
are  ovei tasked,  not  only  must  she  suffer  physically,  morally, 
and  mentally,  but  the  bad  effects  fall  on  the  husband  and  chil 
dren.  The  effect  is  ruinous  to  their  moral  culture.  The 
sad,  melancholy,  fault-finding  disposition  produced  thereby 
in  the  children,  is  a  bane  for  ever  to  their  happiness.  Im 
moralities  in  parents  are  usually  followed  by  physical  weak 
ness  in  the  children. 

Poverty  is  nothing  to  boast  of,  and  when  we  meet  with  it, 
we  may  know  the  virtuous,  if  industrious,  and  sound  iu 
mind,  are  either  suffering  from  the  faults  or  crimes  of  others, 
or  their  own  ill  health,  or  mismanagement..  Preventing  in 
digence,  (resulting  from  culpable  causes),  is  best  done  by 
giving  moral  instruction  to  the  young. 

The  readiness  of  the  working  classes  to  assist  each  other 
when  hard  run  for  money,  is  an  admirable  trait.  How 
many  a  poor  emigrant  has  been  taken  in,  and  kept,  anil 
cared  for,  by  some  countryman  of  his  own,  who  had,  by 
hard  toil,  earned  a  home  in  this  favored  land  ! 

In  all  ages,  and  in  all  nations,  some  of  the  producing 
classes  have  been  ill  paid  for  their  labor.  The  erroneous 
construction  and  undue  power  of  money,  have  made  the 
tens  rich,  and  plunged  thousands  into  poverty.  They  have 
sent  hundreds  to  premature  graves,  starved  the  widow  and 
the  orphan,  and  given  untold  wealth  to  the  miser.  We  can 
not  alter  the  evils  of  the  past.  WTe  must  act  for  the  present 
and  the  future. 

Active  measures  are  being  taken  in  England  for  improv 
ing  the  condition  of  the  working  classes.  In  the  United 
States  the  home  comforts  of  the  mass  of  people  are  superior 
to  those  of  any  other  country.  The  houses  are  better  built, 
better  lighted,  better  aired,  and  better  supplied  with  whole 
some  water.  Yet  in  all  crowded  parts  of  large  cities,  the 
impure  air  of  the  tall,  dark,  closely-packed  houses,  breeds 

9 


ISO      CONDITION  OF  THE   WORKING    CLASSES. 

miasma  and  disease.  Clean,  airy,  well-constructed  dwell* 
ings,  should  be  provided  for  the  poor,  and  rented  at  reasona 
ble  rates.  Companies  could  be  formed,  and  shares  taken,  by 
capitalists.  Landlords  should  be  compelled,  by  law,  to  build 
their  tenement  houses  in  such  a  way  as  to  afford  more  than 
one  mode  of  egress  in  case  of  fire,  and  they  should  be  required 
to  furnish  a  space  of  ground  proportionate  to  the  size  of  the 
house  they  erect,  as  breathing-room  for  the  inmates.  Labor 
ing  people  much  enjoy,  and  much  need,  plots  of  ground  at- 
tached  to  their  houses  as  garden  spots.  Nothing  more  securely 
fastens  a  family  to  a  place,  than  the  possession  and  cultiva 
tion  of  a  garden.  The  restless  and  shifting  life  some  work 
people  lead,  is  a  great  barrier  to  their  moral  and  intellectual 
advancement.  On  that  account  there  is  not  the  same  temp 
tation  to  evil  among  the  poor  of  the  country,  as  among  those 
of  towns  and  cities. 

The  social  organization  of  work-people  is  probably  of  a 
higher  grade  in  the  United  States,  than  in  any  other  coun-; 
try.  Our  working  people  are  not  so  oppressed  and  over 
tasked,  as  those  of  older  countries.  It  is  seldom  that  labor 
performed  by  our  working  classes,  is  so  great  as  to  make  a 
resort  to  stimulants  a  temptation.  Any  man,  with  good 
health  and  habits,  can  command  the  necessaries  of  life. 
Economy,  industry,  prudence,  and  sobriety,  will  furnish 
him  and  his  family  with  a  healthy,  comfortable  home.  The 
anxiety  and  restlessness  induced  by  a  frequent  change  of 
dwelling-place,  is  detrimental  to  both  body  and  mind.  When 
the  day's  labors  are  finished,  the  repose  and  quiet  of  a  home 
are  essential  to  peace  of  mind. 

During  the  last  twenty  years  the  men  tff  the  working 
classes,  owing  to  the  great  advantages  they  have  had  in 
cities  for  improvement,  by  lectures,  access  to  libraries, 
churches,  and  so  forth,  have  greatly  advanced  in  intelli 
gence  and  refinement.  Public  schools  inspire,  in  the  middle 
and  lower  classes,  a  feeling  of  personal  freedom  and  iude<- 
pendence  in  business  matters. 

Compare  the  creature  comforts  of  the  working  classes  of 
our  country  with  the  peasantry  of  JCurope.  In  Russia.  Po- 


tf  Of  THE   WORKING   CLASSES.     131 


land,  and  Denmark^  they  never  use  meat  or  butter,  and  in 
Norway  and  Sweden  rarely  enjoy  meat.  In  France  seven 
and  a  half  millions  are  without  meat  or  wheaten  bread.  In 
those  countries,  except  France,  Norway,  and  Sweden,  all 
legislative  and  executive  power  is  in  the  hands  of  the  sov- 
ergigus  and  nobles.  "  According  to  M»  Dupin,  two  thirds 
of  the  population  of  France,  or  twenty  millions,  are  de 
prived  of  the  nourishment  of  animal  food,  and  live  wholly 
on  chestnuts,  maize,  and  potatoes;"  "  In  France,  the  peas 
ant  girl  dies  of  labor,  the  female  operative  of  hunger.  The 
poverty  of  the  male  operative  would  be  wealth,  abundance, 
luxury,  to  the  female*  111  France,  among  the  peasants,  a 
woman  is  preferred  for  a  wife  who  has  a  small  appetite, 
a  lithe  ami  slender  figure  —  from  an  idea  that  she  will  eat 
less." 

In  some  portions  of  Europe  there  are  but  two  marked 
divisions  in  society,  the  aristocratic  and  the  working  classes. 
The  working  classes  can  never  rise.  Their  wages  are  so 
low  that  they  barely  furnish  them  with  the  necessaries  of 
life.  They  have  no  time  for  self-improvement.  In  some  of 
those  countries^  even  if  possible  for  working  men  to  acquire 
Wealth  and  learning^  they  cannot  maintain  a  creditable  posi 
tion  in  society.  In  the  United  States  it  is  very  different. 
The  working  classes  have  every  facility  for  acquiring  edu 
cation-,  and  advancement  in  business,  and  social  standing. 

The  health  and  comfort  of  the  factory  operatives  of  Low 
ell,  a  few  years  ago,  excited  the  admiration,  not  only  of 
Americans,  but  Europeans.  No  class  of  New  England  work 
people  surpassed.,  or,  perhaps,  equaled  them,  in  intelligence, 
morality,  and  education. 

"  The  condition  of  the  laboring  poor  seems  the  happiest 
in  the  progressive  state  ;  it  is  hard  in  the  stationary,  and 
miserable  in  the  declining." 

Education  and  common  sense  do  not  always  give  wisdom 
in  the  selection  of  a  husband  or  wife.  There  is  an  incom 
patibility  in  the  selection  of  partners  among  the  laboring 
classes,  that  accounts  for  much  domestic  misery.  Some 
men  marry  before  they  are  able  to  support  a  wife  comfort- 


132     CONDITION  OF  THE    WORKING    CLASSES. 

ably,  and  some  men,  or  their  wives,  spend  all  they  earn. 
In  either  case  no  provision  is  made  for  the  future,  and,  as  a 
consequence,  want  and  trouble  follow.  But  it  is  otherwise 
when  judicious,  industrious,  kind,  prudent  people  marry. 

The  family  where  there  is  a  virtuous,  sensible,  judicious 
woman,  who  is  respected,  and  has  the  management  of  af 
fairs,  and  control  of  the  purse,  is  known  by  its  comfort  and 
neatness.  Money  is  more  likely  to  be  wisely  appropriated 
—  less  selfishly  —  more  for  the  general  good.  Superiority 
of  education  in  a  wife,  leads  her  husband  to  respect  her 
more  highly,  consult  her,  look  up  to  her,  and  be  influenced 
by  her  in  his  affairs.  This  is  one  inducement  to  girls  to 
use  their  opportunities  for  acquiring  an  education.  Still 
greater  is  the  influence  when  a  woman's  trade,  or  profession, 
aids  her  in  contributing  to  the  wants  of  the  family,  as  her 
husband's  interests  are  a  guarantee  for  his  affections.  Mar 
ried  women,  that  work  to  support  their  children,  work  as 
hard  to  do  so  as  men,  and  generally  more  so,  for  they  have 
not  only  the  labor  attending  the  rearing  of  them,  but  the 
man's  part  also,  that  of  providing  for  them. 

The  misfortune,  with  many  of  the  poor,  is,  that  they  do 
not  know  how  to  work  to  advantage.  The  time  and  labor 
they  expend  to  gain  a  bare  subsistence,  would,  in  some  oc 
cupations,  if  properly  applied,  yield  them  a  handsome  main 
tenance.  The  statement  would  hold  good,  if  the  work  per 
formed  was  spent  in  places  where  it  was  most  needed.  But 
many  of  the  poor  have  not  the  time,  opportunity,  or  money 
required,  to  gain  this  information. 

In  no  other  country,  as  the  United  States,  have  the  chil 
dren  of  the  poor  such  means  of  acquiring  an  education,  while 
freedom  of  thought  and  speech  is  conducive  to  the  forming 
of  a  correct  estimate  of  matters  and  things  in  general.  Yet 
there  is  much  room  for  improvement  in  the  condition  of  our 
working  people.  The  influx  of  ignorant  foreigners  opens  a 
work  to  the  philanthropist,  and  political  economist.  Some 
coarse,  ignorant  foreigners  have  abused  their  privileges  by 
their  rudeness  and  insolence.  We  would  recommend  edu 
cation  for  the  darkened  and  disordered  minds  of  the  igno- 


CONDITION  OF  THE   WORKING    CLASSES.      133 

rant  portion  of  the  working  classes  ;  and  clothing,  food,  and 
shelter  for  the  bodies  of  educated,  but  destitute,  working 
people,  the  means  for  acquiring  which  to  be  put  in  their 
power  by  legislative  measures,  if  no  others  offer.  The  want 
of  innocent  amusements  for  the  laboring  classes  in  the 
United  States,  is  greater  than  in  most  European  countries. 
Museums,  libraries,  and  public  gronnds,  are  sadly  deficient 
in  many  of  the  towns,  and  some  of  the  cities.  Bath-houses, 
too,  are  needed  ;  cleanliness  will  do  something  to  advance 
the  interests  of  the  poor,  and  surely,  in  this  land  of  mighty 
rivers,  there  need  be  no  lack  of  water. 

A  more  even  distribution  of  work  and  wages  is  desirable 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  would  be  well  if  the  callings 
were  supplied  more  according  to  the  demand.  There  would 
not  then  be  a  surplus  in  one  occupation,  and  a  deficiency  in 
another.  And  those  occupations  most  essential  to  comfort 
and  happiness,  would  be  pursued  more  efficiently,  while  those 
that  merely  contribute  to  the  artificial  enjoyment  of  a  few, 
would  be, partially  dispensed  with.  A  more  just  appropria 
tion  to  women  of  suitable  employments,  and  fair  wages, 
is  also  needed.  Both  sexes  will  then  be  more  likely  to 
share  in  the  possession  of  property.  There  certainly  should 
be  remunerative  labor  enough  in  the  United  States  to  supply 
all  that  wish  it  —  both  men  and  women. 

In  many  parts  of  Europe  the  men  go  from  province  to 
province,  and  even  to  other  kingdoms,  seeking  employment. 
Their  families  are  left  alone  for  months  at  a  time.  The  low 
cunning,  and  sensual  existence,  that  mark  the  state  of  the 
costermongers  in  London,  show  plainly  the  degradation  that 
must  follow  to  the  poor  from  a  want  of  employment,  or  in 
adequate  compensation.  The  poor  in  Europe  need  rest  for 
both  soul  and  body.  The  mind  is  so  constituted  that  it  re 
quires  occasional  refreshment  and  repose.  The  dull  eye  of 
the  overtasked  tells  of  too  constant  labor.  The  heavy, 
stupid  face  indicates  animal  preponderance,  and  spiritual 
starvation.  Women  and  youths  in  England  have  got  to 
frequenting  ale-houses,  and  wasting  their  money  and  even 
ings  in  low  orgies.  There,  drunkenness,  smoking,  and 


134     CONDITION  OF  THE    WORKING   CLASSES. 

swearing,  are  not  uncommon  among  the  women  that  work 
in  factories. 

What  a  wretched  life  some  workwomen  must  lead  with 
their  scanty  wages,  their  insufficiency  for  comfortable  living 
and  clothing,  and  the  utter  inability  to  save  from  them  any 
thing  for  sickness  and  old  age !  The  small,  low-roofed 
rooms,  and  the  numbers  that  sleep  in  them,  would  astonish 
those  that  have  never  seen  them*  or  heard  of  them  from  a 
reliable  source.  Nor  do  we  refer  merely  to  those  of  Euro 
pean  countries.  Here  is  a  description  of  some  in  New 
York,  as  given  by  a  contributor  to  a  newspaper  of  that  city, 
in  a  series  of  articles  on  the  condition  of  the  workwomen 
there  :  "  These  women  generally  keep  house  —  that  is,  they 
rent  a  single  room,  or  perhaps  two  small  rooms  in  the  upper 
story  of  some  poor,  ill-constructed,  unventilated  house,  in  a 
filthy  street,  constantly  kept  so  by  the  absence  of  back  yards, 
and  the  neglect  of  the  street  inspectors  —  where  a  sickly 
and  deadly  miasm  pervades  the  atmosphere,  and  in  summer 
renders  it  totally  unfit  to  be  inhabited  by  human  beings, 
depositing  the  seeds  of  debility,  and  disease,  with  every  in 
spiration.  In  these  rooms  all  the  processes  of  cooking,  eat 
ing,  sleeping,  washing,  working,  and  living,  are  indiscrim 
inately  performed.  For  these  rooms  the  tenant  never  pays 
less  than  from  three  dollars  to  four  dollars  and  a  half  per 
month  ;  and  pay  they  must,  and  do.  Some  of  the  very 
worst  single  garrets,  destitute  of  closet,  or  convenience  of 
any  kind,  and  perhaps  lighted  up  by  a  hole  cut  in  the  roof, 
rent  as  high  as  two  dollars  a  month.  Of  course  every  cent 
of  the  inmates'  earnings  is  exhausted  every  week,  and  in 
many  cases  is  not  sufficient  to  buy  any  other  food  than  a 
scanty  supply  of  potatoes,  and  Indian  meal,  and  molasses 
for  the  family.  When  winter  comes,  therefore,  they  are 
destitute  not  only  of  the  means  of  adding  comfortable  cloth-  ' 
ing  to  their  wretched  wardrobes,  but  of  procuring  an  ounce 
of  fuel.  Their  work,  too,  at  this  season,  is  frequently  cut 
off,  and  they  are  left  no  resource  but  the  alnishouse,  or  a 
pauper  ticket  for  bread  and  coal.  Here,  too,  they  are  often 
balked.  The  almshouse  is  full  and  overrunning."  Since 


CONDITION  OF  THE    WORKING    CLASSES.     135 

this  was  written,  a  more  systematic  arrangement  has  been 
made  in  New  York  city  for  distributing  charity  to  foreign 
paupers  by  "  The  Society  for  improving  the  Condition  of 
the  Poor  ;  "  but  the  half-paid,  hard-working  laborer  is  not 
assisted  or  guided  into  more  profitable  avenues  of  employ-? 
ment  by  the  society,  and  it  totally  ignores  educated,  destitute 
American  women. 

As  the  laboring  classes  are  educated,  and  think  for  them-; 
selves  what  is  their  due,  labor  will  be  better  rewarded. 
Some  will  rise  to  influence  and  power,  and,  remembering 
the  state  from  which  they  sprang,  will  turn  with  sympa 
thizing  heart  to  the  burdened  wayfarers,  and  bring  about 
the  establishment  of  such  laws  as  will  ameliorate  the  con? 
dition  of  the  working  classes,  and  require  for  them  more 
generous  remuneration  for  their  labor. 

In  this  country  nature  has  furnished  men  with  sufficient 
capital  for  earning  a  subsistence,  that  are  possessed  of  rea^ 
son,  health,  and  a  knowledge  of  some  employment.  It  is 
true  there  may  be  hard  work  to  do  ;  but  that  should  be 
expected.  If  such  people  abstain  from  the  use  of  liquor 
and  cards,  they  will  not  be  likely  to  suffer  from  a  want  of 
the  necessaries  of  life  ;  at  any  rate,  they  will  be  better  able 
to  procure  them.  In  squandering  his  earnings  for  drink,  a 
man  not  merely  loses  his  money,  but  his  ability  to  earn 
more,  by  the  loss  of  health  and  strength.  As  intemperance 
continues  to  decrease  among  the  higher  classes,  it  will,  we 
trust,  gradually  disappear  among  the  laboring  classes.  Then 
men  will  have  a  desire  to  make  their  homes  comfortable, 
and  supply  their  families  with  what  they  need. 

Many  persons  by  being  furnished  with  assistance  or  en> 
ployment,  for  a  short  time,  may  gain  ground  they  have  lost, 
and  march  with  a  heart  as  bold,  and  a  step  as  active,  as  the 
most  fortunate.  The  difference  in  the  condition  and  insti 
tutions  of  our  people,  the  freedom  of  their  laws,  their  roam 
ing  natures,  the  vast  extent  of  our  unimproved  country,  and 
its  great  resources,  the  construction  of  public  works,  and 
other  numberless  means  for  earning  a  subsistence,  render 
us,  to  a  greater  extent,  free  from  the  indigence  and  pauper 
ism  that  burden  older  countries, 


136     CONDITION  OF  THE    WORKING   CLASSES. 

The  quantity  of  labor  in  any  particular  branch  is  regu 
lated  by  the  demand.  If  there  is  a  surplus  of  hands  in  any 
employment,  so  that  the  wages  are  greatly  reduced,  or  some 
are  thrown  out  of  employment,  they  should  remove  to  where 
their  species  of  labor  is  wanted,  or  seek  some  other  kind  of 
employment.  Self-interest  prompts  to  such  a  step.  This  is 
easily  done  in  the  United  States.  In  England  the  poor  laws, 
and  laws  of  settlement,  interfere  with  this  freedom.  Many  of 
the  Irish  that  settle  in  this  country  are  shiftless.  If  they 
used  prudence  and  foresight  in  their  expenditures,  they  might 
less  frequently  be  penniless.  Among  many  of  the  lower 
classes  of  foreigners,  that  flock  to  our  shores,  there  exist  pov 
erty,  sickness,  and  affliction.  The  vast  influx  of  those  who 
neither  know  nor  care  anything  about  our  institutions,  but 
have  the  privileges  of  freemen  and  native  born,  have  done 
much  to  bring  about  the  lamentable  war  lately  ended.  The 
heavy  taxation,  produced  by  it,  will  probably  curtail  the 
privileges  the  children  of  these  people  would  have  had  for 
acquiring  an  education.  It  has,  by  the  disordered  state  of 
affairs  in  the  South,  done  away  with  schools  there  nearly 
altogether.  Of  the  vast  body  of  uneducated  female  emi 
grants  that  arrive  in  this  country,  none  are  so  fortunate  as 
those  who  secure  places  as  domestics  in  respectable  and 
worthy  families.  They  are  sure  of  protection,  and  of  as 
fair  wages  as  they  could  obtain  at  anything  else. 

With  a  portion  of  the  female  working  class  there  exists 
a  bitterness  of  feeling  in  regard  to  their  lot,  an  assumed 
independence  of,  and  indifference  to,  those  more  favored ; 
a  proud  sensitiveness,  and  often  an  imaginary  sense  of  de 
pression  and  injustice.  There  may  be  a  foundation  for  the 
first  of  these  feelings,  and  cause  for  the  last,  but  to  what 
extent  it  is  impossible  to  estimate.  So  different  are  people, 
so  various  the  circumstances  that  influence  them,  that  such 
data  are  out  of  the  question. 

The  great  failure  in  trying  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of 
the  working  classes,  particularly  of  women,  has  been  in 
applying  a  remedy  to  the  disease  without  removing  the 
cause.  The  worm-eaten  tree  has  been  bound  up,  instead  of 
removing  its  defective  parts,  Charity  has  been  substituted 


CONDITION  OF  THE   WORKING   CLASSES.     137 

for  justice,  alms  for  employment.  Poverty  and  misery  have 
been  relieved,  but  no  pains  taken  to  prevent  their  repetition. 
In  France,  women's  wages  are  much  less  than  in  this 
country ;  yet  it  requires  less  to  live  there.  There  one 
thousand  francs,  (one  hundred  and  ninety  dollars),  per  an 
num,  are  considered  a  good  salary,  while  here  most  women 
receive  at  least  twenty-five  hundred,  (four  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars).  There  the  aspirations  of  workwomen 
are  more  humble.  They  do  not  expect  to  live  in  the  same 
style  that  working  women  require  in  this  country.  They 
have  not  the  same  fondness  for  personal  adornment.  We 
think  the  dress  of  the  working  classes  everywhere  should 
be  plain  and  simple,  becoming  their  labor  and  condition. 

"  The  difference  of  the  food  of  a  rich  man,  and  his  poor 
neighbor,  consists  usually  in  the  quality,  not  in  the  quantity, 
But  the  difference  between  their  clothing,  lodging',  and  fur 
niture,  is  as  great  in  quantity,  as  it  is  in  quality." 

The  early  employment  of  girls  in  factories  has  been  ob 
jected  to  on  the  ground  that  it  renders  them  unlit,  when 
they  are  grown  and  have  families,  to  perform  rightly  their 
duties  as  wives  and  mothers.  It  induces  a  want  of  thrifti- 
ness,  and  does  not  give  them  time  to  learn  the  art  of  cutting 
out  garments,  and  making  them,  Neither  is  the  still  more 
indispensable  art  of  cooking  learned,  And  we  know  well 
a  very  important  item,  in  rendering  life  agreeable  to  the 
working  classes,  is  a  knowledge  of  cooking,  and  sewing,  and 
economical  housekeeping.  Some  complain  that  if  girls  are 
employed  in  factories  as  they  grow  up,  habits  of  cleanliness, 
order,  and  neatness  are  neglected,  or  never  formed.  It  is 
thought  to  be  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  crime  and  poverty 
among  the  poor  of  England.  The  health  and  education  of 
children  in  such  families  are  neglected,  and  home  comforts 
are  unknown.  We  think  these  objections,  however  plausi 
ble  they  may  seem,  do  not  fully  exist.  If  women  have 
received  a  proper  home  training,  and  have  common  sense, 
they  will,  in  receiving  good  wages,  lay  aside  what  they  can 
spare  for  sickness,  and  old  age.  This  was  exemplified  in 
the  factory  operatives  at  Lowell,  a  few  years  back. 

The  depression  in  the  social,  moral,  and  political  scale  of 


138      CONDITION  OF  THE    WORKING   CLASSES. 

the  working  classes  in  the  United  States,  we  can  safely 
say,  is  much  less  than  in  any  other  country.  The  work 
people  of  the  United  States  are  increasing  in  intelligence, 
particularly  the  foreign  population.  Yet  the  wretched  pov 
erty,  and  terrible  vice,  of  our  large  cities  is  an  omen  of 
fearful  import,  and  may  prove  a  weapon  of  awful  destruc 
tion.  Should  it  equal  that  of  monarchical  countries,  our 
military  must  be  increased,  and  taxes  levied  for  its  support. 

Chauuing  says,  "  The  elevation  of  man  consists  in  the 
elevation  of  soul,  first  through  force  of  thought  excited  for 
the  acquisition  of  truth  ;  secondly,  force  of  pure  and  gen 
erous  feeling ;  thirdly,  through  force  of  moral  purpose. 
The  only  elevation  of  a  human  being  consists  in  the  exer 
cise,  growth,  energy,  of  the  higher  principles  and  powers 
of  his  soul."  Again  he  says,  "  So  far  is  manual  labor  from 
meriting  contempt  or  slight,  that  it  will  probably  be  found, 
when  united  with  true  means  of  spiritual  culture,  to  foster 
a  sound  judgment,  a  keener  observation,  a  more  creative 
imagination,  and  a  purer  taste,  than  any  other  vocation." 

Women  belonging  to  the  working  classes  are  more  di 
rectly  interested  in  public  affairs  than  women  of  a  higher 
station.  On  the  prosperity  of  business  depends  their  sup 
port.  The  levying  of  a  tax,  the  introduction  of  a  tariff 
bill,  the  blockading  of  ports,  the  suspension  of  banks,  the 
closing  of  manufactories,  the  rates  of  wages,  the  number 
of  working  hours,  are  all  matters  in  which  they  are  more 
or  less  immediately  involved.  The  members  of  families  in 
the  working  classes  are  thrown  more  intimately  together, 
and  converse  more  freely  than  those  in  the  higher  circles 
of  life. 

The  anxiety  and  responsibility  attending  business  matters 
are  felt  by  men  alone  in  the  middle  classes  ;  in  the  working 
classes  they  are  shared  by  the  women.  More  sympathy 
and  assistance  are  given  by  the  working  classes  to  each 
other,  than  by  those  less  dependent.  The  members  of  well- 
bred  families  in  the  working  classes  are  more  firmly  united, 
more  closely  attached,  than  those  of  any  other.  They  are 
more  willing  to  make  sacrifices,  and  more  ambitious  in  aid 
ing  each  other  to  rise  in  the  world. 


DRESS  OF  WORK-PEOPLE.  •    139 


DRESS   OF  WORK-PEOPLE, 

I  DO  not  know  of  any  reform  more  requisite  for  comfort, 
and  the  promotion  of  health,  among  the  workwomen 
of  America,  than  a  style  of  dress  different  from  that  now 
worn.  A  more  sensible  plan  might  be  adopted.  The  skirts 
should  be  shorter,  and  the  weight  made  to  fall  more  on  the 
shoulders,  and  less  on  the  hips.  They  should  be  sufficiently 
warm,  but  of  light  materials.  The  short  dresses  of  the 
Germans  are  much  more  reasonable.  They  are  not  only 
more  comfortable,  but  better  adapted  to  their  vocations. 
They  do  not  impede  the  progress.  The  movement  of  the 
walker  is  lighter  and  more  free.  Neither  do  they  collect 
the  mud  and  snow,  as  longer  ones  do.  Women  should  not 
wear  hoops  in  their  work-rooms,  as  they  check  the  progress 
of  all  whom  they  meet,  in  narrow  passes,  and  between  the 
machinery, 

In  the  large  bookbindery  of  M.  Maitre,  near  Dijon,  in 
France,  the  women  wear  a  uniform,  supplied  by  the  pro 
prietor,  that  I  thiok  must  be  a  useful  and  sensible  one.  It 
is  loose  and  graceful,  somewhat  like  the  Turkish  costume, 
but  the  skirt  is  united  with  the  trousers.  The  Turkish  cos 
tume  is  best  for  women  at  most  kinds  of  work,  whether 
agricultural,  manufacturing,  or  of  a  domestic  nature.  It 
is  safer  and  more  convenient.  The  long  skirts  that  have 
been  worn  have  rendered  many  a  woman  an  invalid  for  life. 

I  have  heard  some  people  object  to  the  fondness  of  dress 
evinced  by  the  workwomen  of  the  United  States,  but  never 
the  same  objection  urged  against  the  workmen.  For  my 
part,  I  think  nearly  as  much  effort  to  dress  well  is  made  by 
the  male,  as  the  female,  part  of. the  working  population. 
Jf  a  female  domestic  betrays  a  weakness  for  fine  clothes,  a 


140  DRESS    OF  WORKPEOPLE. 

workman  will  be  afraid  to  select  her  for  a  wife,  and  a  man 
of  higher  station  will  not  be  likely  to  make  her  his  wife, 
let  liim  say  what  he  will.  *'  Drink,  Dress,  Debt,  are  three 
D's  which  the  devil  is  very  fond  of,"  says  the  author  of 
letters  addressed  to  working  women  in  the  "  People's 
Magazine," 

In  older  countries,  work-people  do  not  aspire  to  live  in 
the  same  style  as  those  superior  in  wealth  and  rank.  But 
the  democratic  nature  of  our  government  is  calculated  to 
foster  a  spirit  of  pride,  and  self-importance,  more  among 
the  lowly  and  ignorant,  than  any  other  class  of  people. 

A  lady  remarked  to  me  that  she  thought  working  women 
are  more  excusable  for  trying  to  dress  well  than  idle  ones, 
who  do  nothing  —  that  it  is  more  excusable  in  uncultivated 
girls  than  in  the  highly  educated,  who  should  be  able  to 
rise  above  a  feeling  of  the  kind.  The  motive  is  to  please 
those  of  the  opposite  sex,  that  usually  prompts  a  woman  to 
adorn  herself  with  rich,  rare,  or  handsome  attire,  Fre 
quently,  the  moving  cause  is  a  spirit  of  rivalry  with  others 
of  her  own  sex.  A  too  great  fondness  for  dress,  we  know,  is 
the  bane  of  many  working  girls,  They  spend  all  for  dress  — 
so  have  nothing  when  out  of  employment.  It  is  undoubtedly, 
in  some  cases,  the  cause  of  prostitution.  Simplicity  of 
dress  and  manners  bespeaks  the  well-trained  mind.  Wo* 
men  of  high  birth  in  England,  when  at  their  homes  in  the 
country,  wear  short  dresses,  and  in  winter,  warm  stockings 
and  double-soled  shoes. 

If  women  wouid  wear  a  plainer  style  of  dress  to  church 
than  most  of  them  do,  it  would  be  a  great  blessing  to  the 
working  class  of  women,  who  would  be  more  willing  to 
attend  church,  as  they  would  not  feel  so  acutely  the  marked 
difference  in  the  quality  of  their  apparel, 


OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES.        141 


CHILDREN   OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES, 

IIILDREN  in  good  health  are  naturally  buoyant.  They 
love  to  indulge  in  active,  joyous  freedom.  Their  little 
limbs  require  bodily  exercise.  And  fresh  air  is  wanted  to 
harden  their  bones,  to  render  their  muscles  firm,  and  nerves 
strong. 

No  doubt  most  of  our  readers  know  that  institutions  exist 
in  France  and  England,  and  one,  or  more,  in  this  country, 
where  the  infants  of  working  women  are,  gratuitously,  or 
for  a  small  sum,  kept  and  provided  for  during  the  day. 

Most  parents  engaged  in  hard  labor  for  the  support  of 
their  children  are  apt  to  neglect  that  moral  training  so  essen 
tial  to  their  welfare,  and  the  good  of  society.  They  are  so 
much  engrossed  in  providing  for  the  animal  wants  of  their 
children  that  they  neglect  the  necessities  of  their  higher 
natures. 

Some  parents  are  ignorant  and  bigoted,  and  in  that  way 
neglect  the  improvement  of  their  children.  Some  are  trifling, 
and  should  have  their  children  removed  from  under  their  in 
fluence.  A  number  are  so  anxious  to  see  their  children  rise 
in  the  world,  and  be  exempt  to  some  extent  from  the  phys 
ical  labor  they  have  performed,  that  they  raise  them  with 
false  views  of  life  and  its  aims.  The  boy,  instead  of  being 
a  mechanic,  would  prefer  to  be  a  lily-hand  dark,  or  a  third- 
rate  professional  man.  The  daughter,  instead  of  assisting 
in  household  duties,  will  spend  all  her  time  reading  novels, 
practicing  her  music,  shopping,  or  flying  from  one  to  another 
of  her  butterfly  acquaintances, 

It  should  be  early  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  children 
that  facts  should  be  stored  in  the  mind  as  if  they  were  to  be 
used.  If  the  brain  is  made  a  storehouse,  and  fillecj  with 


142         CHILDREN  OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES. 

important  facts,  of  what  value  are  they  unless  wisely  and 
practically  used? 

Encourage  in  your  children  any  indication  of  talent.  It 
is  a  fact  that  almost  every  one  who  has  arrived  at  any  dis 
tinction  in  life  has  been  encouraged  in  childhood  in  the 
prosecution  of  what  was  attempted.  John  Gibson,  the 
sculptor,  attributes  his  success  to  the  encouragement  given 
by  his  parents  for  his  fondness  for  drawing  when  a  child. 
Benjamin  West  traced  his  success  to  the  same  cause. 

An  American  writes  us,  "  French  women  are  what  we  call 
very  smart.  Very  few  of  them,  unless  they  are  quite  rich, 
set  themselves  up  as  great  women,  and  make  their  husbands 
work  for  them,  but  expect  to  do  at  least  half  the  work  in 
the  restaurant,  store,  shop,  &c.  This  is  the  fashion,  and  no 
person  thinks  hard  of  it.  What  becomes  of  the  children  I 
do  not  know,  I  suppose  they  are  smart  enough  to  take  care 
of  themselves." 

To  be  taught  to  gain  a  livelihood  is  a  matter  of  vital  impor 
tance,  both  morally  and  physically,  with  the  children  of  the 
poor.  All  parents  should  be  required  to  send  their  children 
to  school  for  a  given  time,  as  in  most  countries  of  Europe, 
and  they  should  also  be  required  to  give  them  a  knowledge 
of  an  honest  vocation.  The  government  should  demand  it. 
Parents  should  be  required  to  support  them  comfortably  while 
attending  school,  or  if  not  fully  able  to  do  so,  the  expenses 
should  be  made  up  from  the  public  treasury. 

Girls  are  not  brought  up  as  they  should  be,  with  a  view 
to  making  their  information  lucrative.  Even  the  daughters 
of  hard-working  parents,  are  not  trained  with  the  object  in 
view,  of  making  what  they  learn,  a  matter  of  dollars  and 
cents. 

A  proper  home-training  is  much  needed  in  all  ranks  of 
life.  People  in  all  classes  and  conditions  of  society  should, 
above  all  things,  give  their  children  industrious  habits.  Jt 
is  my  opinion  that  parents  who  desire  their  children  to  learn 
a  trade  should  place  their  sous  and  daughters  at  school  about 
the  same  age,  and  keep  them  there  until  they  are  sixteen  or 
seventeen  years  old,  or  even  longer,  if  they  can  afford  it, 


CHILDREN  OF  THE    WORKING  CLASSES. 

They  should,  if  intelligent  people,  select  the  studies  of  their 
children,  having  them  pursue  those  most  likely  to  be  of 
greatest  practical  use.  By  the  time  they  have  arrived  at  the 
age  mentioned  they  can  have  become  thoroughly  grounded 
in  the  English  branches,  conversant  with  French,  or  Ger 
man,  and  have  learned  to  either  draw,  siog,  play,  or  dance 
enough  to  enjoy  with  zest  their  leisure  momenta. 

Parents  should  be  careful  about  the  kind  of  people  with 
whom  they  place  their  children  to  learn  trades.  Jt  would 
probably  be  well  to  have  both  sons  and  daughters  commence 
learning  a  trade  about  the  same  age,  and,  if  possible,  place 
them  where  they  may  enjoy  each  other's  society.  If  the 
trade  learned  by  the  daughter  is  one  requiring  skill  and 
practice,  do  not  hesitate,  if  it  is  her  wish,  to  give  her  an 
apprenticeship  of  the  same  length  as  your  son.  Then,  if 
your  resources  will  admit  of  it,  let  her  live  at  home,  assist 
ing  her  mother  in  the  house  duties,  or  carrying  on  her  trade, 
or  instructing  her  young  brothers  and  sisters.  But  if  you 
furnish  your  son  with  capital  to  do  business,  do  the  same 
for  your  daughter.  Let  her  have  advantages  equal,  in 
every  respect,  with  your  sou. 

Parents  that  intend  to  fit  their  children  for  professions 
should  furnish  them  with  every  advantage  possible.  It  is 
difficult  to  say  at  what  age  they  should  finish  a  classical 
and  professional  course,  the  abilities  of  individuals  vary  so 
greatly.  But  if  they  are  not  through  until  they  are  twenty- 
five  years  old,  they  may  effect  more,  if  they  live  until  fifty 
years  of  age,  —  that  is,  during  the  remaining  twenty-five 
years  of  their  lives,  —  than  people  of  ordinary  attainments 
who  live  to  one  hundred.  The  concentration  of  thought, 
the  maturity  of  judgment,  the  logical  force  acquired,  will 
give  them  the  ability  to  accomplish  much  in  a  short  time, 
and  their  influence  will  be  of  a  kind  to  make  its  impress. 

We  frequently  hear  the  complaint  that  American  youth 
are  not  rightly  trained  —  not  disciplined.  Intelligence  and 
virtue  are  more  necessary  than  anything  else  for  the  exist 
ence  of  a  self-governing  people,  as  in  the  republic  of  the 
United  States. 


144       CHILDREN  OF  THE    WORKING   CLASSES. 

One  of  the  saddest  features  in  the  history  of  the  majority 
of  working  girls  is,  that  they  have  no  one  to  improve  their 
morals  and  manners,  to  form  good  habits,  and  cultivate  a 
pure  taste  and  conversation  —  in  short,  no  one  to  set  them 
a  good  example,  and  exert  a  good  influence*  Particularly 
is  it  so  with  girls  from  the  country,  separated  from  their 
families.  All  that  they  can  earn  is  spent  for  shelter,  cloth 
ing,  and  food.  They  have  nothing  to  spend  for  books,  rec 
reation,  or  in  sickness^  and  many  are  unable  to  purchase 
comfortable  clothing.  Their  health  is  ruined  by  want  of 
sufficient  rest  and  out-door  exercise ;  their  moral  nature 
degraded,  embittered,  and  brutalized,  and  their  minds 
stunted  and  darkened.  The  want  of  an  education,  and  of 
a  good  home  influence,  tends  to  destroy  their  self-respect 
and  ambition. 

We  think  that  few  girls  or  women  that  have  worked  for 
a  living  expect  to  lead  an  idle  life  if  they  marry.  We  can 
not  think  them  so  silly.  Their  responsibilities  and  obliga 
tions  are  increased  by  the  act,  and  they  should  summon 
every  energy  for  their  enlarged  field  of  duty  and  service. 

It  is  estimated  that  nine  out  of  every  ten  women  that 
marry  are  the  wives  of  poor  men. 

Neither  marriage  nor  maternity  do,  with  the  French 
women,  interfere  with  their  competition  in  business  with 
men. 

We  have  never  been  able  satisfactorily  to  solve  the  prob 
lem  why  parents  should  more  object  to  their  daughters  ac 
quiring  and  prosecuting  a  pursuit  than  their  sons.  It  is 
most  likely  to  be  so  with  ignorant,  conceited,  or  purse-proud 
parents.  The  opposition  that  some  daughters  encounter, 
when  they  urge  the  matter,  is  a  terrible  trial  to  the  temper. 
Parents  may  fear  it  will  reflect  on  them  as  improvident.  We 
can  see  no  reasonable  objection,  particularly  if  the  parents 
are  not  rich,  and  the  girls  have  not  a  pleasant  home,  where 
they  are  welcome.  But  educated  as  girls  are,  few  of  them 
•wish  to  know  any  other  than  domestic  labor.  Parents  do 
not  object  when  their  daughters  marry  and  go  away.  In 
this  case  they  know  there  can  be  no  reflection.  Some  fathers 


CHILDREN  OF  THE    WORKING    CLASSES.      145 

may  be  equally  gratified  to  be  relieved  of  the  expense  in 
the  one  case  as  the  other,  though  delicacy  may  prohibit  the 
expression  of  their  feelings  on  the  subject.  If  a  girl  has  a 
profession  or  trade,  she  can  marry  or  live  single  ;  if  she 
has  none,  she  is  expected  to  marry,  unless  she  has  a  reliable 
income,  or  parents  to  support  her. 

Labor  being  remunerative  in  this  country,  and  easily  ob 
tained,  has  prevented  parents  from  placing  their  children  at 
\vork-places  at  a  very  early  age.  Consequently  the  number 
of  children  in  factories,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  adults, 
is  very  much  smaller  than  in  Great  Britain. 

"  In  1837  a  law  was  passed  in  Massachusetts  which  re 
quires  that  no  person,  under  fifteen  years  of  age,  shall  be 
suffered  to  work  more  than  nine  mouths,  in  any  year,  in  a 
factory,  the  remaining  three  to  be  passed  at  school." 

In  Paris  there  are  several  schools  of  design  where  young 
women  are  instructed  in  the  arts  and  manual  professions. 
There  are  thirty  workshops  containing  sixteen  hundred 
young  girls,  to  whom  work  is  furnished.  There  are  several 
schools  for  adults  in  Paris,  where  gratuitous  instruction  is 
given  every  evening  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock. 

"  A  Mr.  Ackloyd,  a  manufacturer  of  Dublin,  has  between 
three  thousand  and  four  thousand  persons  in  his  employ 
ment.  He  had  one  thousand  children  in  schools  in  connec 
tion  with  his  works  ;  those  from  eight  to  thirteen  years  of 
age  only  worked  half  time,  and  attended  the  schools,  thus 
receiving  industrial  and  scholastic  teaching.  The  change 
from  school  to  work  was  very  much  liked  by  the  children. 
Evening  classes  were  established  for  the  young  women  he 
employed.  Needlework  was  taught,  cooking  classes  estab 
lished,  and  music  was  not  forgotten." 
10 


146  NATURAL    TO  BE  EMPLOYED. 


NATURAL   TO   BE   EMPLOYED. 

WE  see  the  desire  exhibited,  in  every  order  of  animal 
creation,  to  be  in  motion,  in  their  waking  hours. 
It  is  the  most  natural  state  of  existence.  Activity,  either 
of  mind  or  body,  is  the  best  element  of  happiness.  The 
listless  ennui  of  those  that  have  nothing  to  do  —  nothing  to 
interest  —  is  opposed  to  a  sound  mind  and  healthy  body. 
Every  human  being  has  an  appointed  mission  —  a  destiny 
to  fulfill.  A  person,  usefully  and  honorably  occupied,  has 
not  time  to  heed  the  siren  voice  of  temptation.  The  only 
reliable  pleasure  is  in  being  employed.  Particularly  is  it 
so  with  the  nervous,  restless  organization  of  Americans. 
Their  natures  crave  active  employment,  as  a  hungry  man 
craves  food. 

Says  a.  practical  English  writer,"!  believe  that  more 
than  one  half  the  women  who  go  into  the  Catholic  church 
join  her  because  she  gives  work  to  her  children.  Happier 
far  is  a  Sister  of  Charity,  or  Mercy,  than  a  young  lady  at 
home,  without  work  or  a  lover.  We  do  not  mean  to  say 
work  will  take  the  place  of  love  in  life  ;  that  is  impossible. 
Does  it  with  men?  But  we  ardently  desire  that  women 
should  not  make  love  their  profession.  Love  is  not  the  end 
of  life.  It  is  nothing  to  be  sought  for ;  it  should  come. 
If  we  work,  love  may  meet  us  in  life ;  if  not,  we  have 
something  still  beyond  all  price.  If  women  were  in  active 
life,  mixing  much  with  men,  the  common  attraction  of  sex 
merely  would  not  be  so  much  felt,  but  rather  the  attractions 
of  natures  specially  adapted  to  each  other." 

Did  no  sin  exist  in  the  world,  neither  man  nor  woman 
could  be  doomed  to  the  performance  of  uncongenial  labor ; 
indeed  it  might  be  that  none  would  be  necessary.  As  it  is, 


NATURAL    TO   BE  EMPLOYED.  147 

most  people  are  so  constituted,  and  circumstances  are  such, 
that  they  must  labor.  But  labor  is  rendered  much  lighter 
if  we  love  it.  If  one's  tastes,  temperament,  and  inclina 
tions  are  satisfied,  employment  becomes  more  a  pleasant 
pastime  than  a  performance  of  duty. 

Industry  is  a  virtue,  and  without  it,  the  other  virtues  are 
not  likely  to  flourish.  Some  think  people  are  by  nature 
inclined  to  be  indolent  and  slothful.  Those  that  would  op 
pose  the  doctrine  refer  to  the  activity  of  children.  They 
never,  in  a  state  of  health,  prefer  inactivity.  What  greater 
punishment  to  a  child,  than  have  to  sit  with  folded  hands 
and  motionless  feet? 

Col.  Higgiuson  says,  UA  pupil  in  a  school  "of  de 
sign  once  told  me,  that,  in  her  opinion,  the  majority  of  the 
scholars  sought  the  occupation,  not  as  a  means  of  support, 
nor  to  gratify  an  artistic  taste,  but  solely  for  the  sake  of 
interesting  employment." 

Lieber,  in  his  ''Political  Ethics,"  says  very  truly,  "  When 
any  faculty  for  energy  and  activity  has  been  given,  there 
exists  likewise  an  intense  desire  to  exercise,  practice,  apply 
it.  It  is  its  very  nature,  and  without  it  the  world  would 
be  at  a  stand.  Whatever  we  may  undertake  originally  by 
way  of  interest,  the  love  of  action,  the  desire  to  leave  some 
memorial  of  one's  self,  to  produce  and  effect  something, 
soon  supersedes  it.  The  nobler  the  mind,  the  more  endowed 
the  soul,  the  more  intense  is  also  the  thirst,  the  more  press 
ing  the  anxiety  to  act,  to  produce,  to  exert  our  powers  —  to 
imprint  our  minds  on  the  world  without." 

How  necessary,  then,  that  a  right  direction  be  given  to 
the  natural  propensities  of  our  nature  —  that  they  be  hap 
pily  and  usefully  exercised.  Heaven  itself,  we  believe,  is  a 
place  of  activity.  Were  it  not,  what  would  become  of  the 
restless  spirits  of  this  world  that  find  their  chief  enjoy 
ment  in  activity  ?  We  cannot  believe  the  first,  great,  and 
leading  principle  of  our  nature  will  be  eradicated,  but  rather 
receive  a  wider  scope  for  action. 


148  WORK  HONORABLE. 


0 


WORK   HONORABLE. 

UR  Father  in  heaven  works.  He  creates  worlds,  and 
^^  supports,  and  governs,  and  directs  them.  His  man 
agement  and  care  extend  to  the  minutest  of  his  creatures. 
Christ  worked.  (John  xvii.  4  ;  ix.  14  ;  xiii.  14  ;  1  John 
iii.  8.)  All  the  animal  kiugdom  labors.  Why  should  man 
and  woman,  the  most  highly  favored  of  all,  be  exempt? 

Employment  is  sowing  seed  that  will  spring  up,  and  bring 
forth  fruit.  Idleness  is  casting  those  seed  in  the  ground, 
and  letting  them  decay.  Contempt  should  not  be  cast  on 
any  honest  employment.  Christ  was  a  carpenter,  Paul  a 
tent-maker.  Even  Adam  worked  in  the  garden  of  Eden. 
(Gen.  ii.  15.)  The  world  is  a  workhouse,  and  all  in  it,  of 
sufficient  health  and  strength,  are  expected  by  the  owner  to 
labor.  Consequently,  no  individual,  possessed  of  his  facul 
ties,  is  exempt. 

"  There  is  a  voice  in  the  sun,  who,  day  by  day,  comet h 
forth  as  a  bridegroom  from  his  chamber,  and  rejoiceth  as  a 
strong  man  to  run  a  race,  forbidding  to  be  idle.  There  is  a 
voice  in  the  stars  as  they  revolve  in  their  everlasting  march, 
forbidding  to  be  idle.  The  billows  of  the  sea,  in  their 
ceaseless  rise  and  fall,  have  lifted  up  their  yesty  heads  to 
preach  against  idleness.  Erom  the  high  angels  of  heaven, 
who  rest  not  day  or  night,  to  the  tiny  insect  whose  world  is 
a  leaf  or  a  water-drop,  everything  declares  against  the  evils 
of  idleness." 

Without  labor  there  could  be  none  of  the  comforts  or  re 
finements  of  life  ;  without  the  labor  of  the  working  classes 
the  wealth  of  the  rich  would  not  save  even  them  from  per 
sonal  exertion.  "  In  proportion  as  man  is  relieved  from  the 
necessity  of  labor,  he  is  debased  in  the  scale  of  existence." 


WORK  HONORABLE.  149 

Society  is  like  a  piece  of  machinery.  If  the  shortest  lever, 
-or  the  smallest  wheel  in  complicated  machinery,  is  defec 
tive,  it  will  affect  the  operation  of  the  whole.  So,  if  some 
members  of  society  are  idle,  or  vicious,  they  will,  by  their 
influence  and  example,  affect  those  connected  with  them. 
Each  individual  member  must  perform  his  or  her  part  to 
render  the  movement  of  the  whole  harmonious. 

Some  people  hold  the  opinion  that  to  labor  is  not  honor 
able  or  dignified.  It  is  one  cause  of  so  many  young  people 
wasting  their  time,  money,  and  energies.  They  are  not 
aware  that  to  5e,  and  do  something,  is  far  more  creditable. 

Nothing  is  a  better  test  of  an  individual's  abilities  than 
poverty.  It  leads  him  to  try  what  he  can  do,  and  he  is 
likely  to  persevere  until  he  finds  he  is  capable  of  accom 
plishing  something.  Some  may  say  that  toiling  for  mate 
rial  wants  will  diminish  the  beauty  and  strength  of  our 
spiritual  nature.  The  fine  gold  may  lose  its  lustre,  but  it 
will  ever  be  gold,  and  when  tried,  will  not  be  found  wanting. 
"A  person  diligent  in  business  shall  stand  before  kings, 
not  before  mean  men." 


150  REFORM. 


REFORM. 

ONLY  those  who  have  undertaken  any  great  social, 
moral,  or  civil  reform  can  be  convinced  of  the  time 
and  effort  required  to  bring  it  about.  Reforms  must  be 
wrought  gradually.  They  cannot  be  accomplished  by  force. 
Those  that  would  engage  in  a  reform  should  be  convinced 
of  its  feasibility  ;  and  they  must  have  an  earnest,  sincere  be 
lief  in  the  advantage  gained  by  such  a  reform.  They  must 
convince  their  hearers  of  this  advantage  by  a  clear,  logical 
course  of  reasoning ;  then  enlist  their  energies  and  zeal  by 
an  earnest  appeal  for  their  assistance. 

A  great  influence  may  be  exerted  over  brothers,  husbands, 
fathers,  and  sons,  by  the  gentler  sex,  in  advancing  reforms. 
They  may  do  much  in  moulding  the  tone  of  thought  and 
feeling.  They  may  bring  their  influence  to  bear  in  prepar 
ing  the  young  for  viewing  correctly,  and  investigating,  various 
reforms,  and  thereby  enlisting  them,  as  they  become  older, 
in  advancing  and  carrying  forward  remedies  for  evils  that 
are  too  deeply  rooted,  far  extended,  or  of  a  nature  not  fitted 
for  woman's  efforts. 

One  of  the  errors  of  the  present  age  lies  in  the  neglect 
of  means  to  prevent  evil.  They  have  been  overlooked  in 
the  effort  to  establish  remedial  measures. 

There  ought  to  be  voluntary  orders  of  nurses,  of  work 
house  teachers,  asylum  attendants,  clothes  distributors,  &c. 
Individual  members  of  these  societies  may  have  a  tact.or 
fondness  for  some  special  kind  of  work.  Some  may  have 
money,  some  leisure,  some  opportunities ;  so  that  a  con 
certed  body  may  accomplish  far  more  than  the  same  indi 
viduals  working  separately.  These  women  could  accom 
plish  much  good  by  visiting  the  female  department  of 


REFORM.  151 

workhouses  and  prisons,  and  conversing  with  the  inmates, 
reading  the  Bible  to  them,  and  praying  with  them.  By 
their  sympathy  and  kindness  they  may  be  the  means  of 
leading  many  an  unfortunate  wanderer  into  the  paths  of 
truth,  honor,  and  virtue. 

No  individual  of  time  and  means  need  be  unoccupied  in 
benevolent  works.  There  is  labor  for  all.  Let  not  the 
charitable  fear  the  diseases  to  be  found  among  some  of  the 
squalid  poor.  It  is  a  rare  thing  that  a  disease  is  con 
tracted  by  the  usual  ministrations  of  kindness  to  the  desti 
tute  sick.  Alas,  alas  !  how  sad  a  thing  for  women,  that  are 
loved  and  provided  for,  to  look  with  contempt  upon  the  poor 
and  oppressed  of  their  own  sex  !  What  a  stony,  selfish 
heart  it  betrays  !  Many  of  the  poor  feel  as  if  they  were 
intruders  on  this  bright,  and  beautiful  earth  ;  many  would 
gladly  lay  down  their  lives  if  they  could,  when  suffering 
from  hunger,  and  shivering  half  clad  over  their  smoulder 
ing  coals.  And  yet  they  are  as  good,  or  better,  than  thou 
sands  enjoying  all  the  luxuries  of  life. 

Every  effort  at  reform  should  be  carried  on  in  a  spirit  of 
charity  and  moderation  so  far  as  expedient.  It  is  probably 
more  difficult  to  introduce  a  mental  reform  in  socjety  than  a 
moral  reform  ;  but  with  an  individual  a  permanent  moral 
reform  is  perhaps  as  difficult  to  accomplish  as  to  overcome 
a  prejudice,  or  remove  an  erroneous  opinion. 

The  great  object  in  all  conditions  of  life  should  be  to  sub 
due  the  animal  propensities  by  cultivating  the  higher  powers 
of  the  mind,  and  the  better  qualities  of  the  heart.  Some 
people  hold  the  opinion  that  efforts  at  reform  should  first  be 
internal.  We  beg  leave  to  differ.  First  make  the  body 
comfortable,  then  elevate  the  soul ;  or,  if  possible,  accom 
plish  both  at  the  same  time.  But  pray,  tell  me,  ye  who 
would  commence  with  the  inner  exaltation,  and  leave  the 
other  neglected,  in  what  time  you  would  advise  the  poor 
seamstress,  worn  and  wearied,  who  Jias  toiled  from  break 
of  day  till  past  midnight,  and  drops  exhausted  on  her  straw 
pallet  —  at  what  time  you  would  advise  her  to  read,  and 
think,  and  improve  herself.  Of  the  sixteen  hours  out  of 


152  REFORM. 

the  twenty-four  engaged  in  liferconsuming  labor,  what  can 
be  spared  for  mental  and  moral  culture  ?  To  none  is  pov 
erty  so  terrible  as  to  educated  and  refined  women.  In  their 
unceasing  struggle  with  the  world,  to  obtain  the  necessaries 
of  life,  they  have  no  time  for  recreation. 

One  great  trouble  in  matters  pertaining  to  women  is,  they 
are  not  true  to  each  other.  Men  sustain  each  other  ;  women 
do  not.  It  is  a  radical  defect,  arising  either  from  their  con 
stitution,  education,  or  circumstances.  Many  oppress  and 
undermine  each  other.  Perhaps  one,  with  a  husband,  will 
go  around  and  get  work  for  a  mere  trifle,  that  she  may  have 
a  little  pocket  money.  In  that  way  she  cuts  down  the 
wages  of  those  that  work  for  bread.  A  girl,  with  parents 
able  and  willing  to  support  her,  will  apply  for  work,  and 
offer  to  do  it  for  something  less  than  it  is  being  done,  that 
she  may  have  extra  laces  and  ribbons. 

Educated  and  cultivated  women  are  a  part  of  almost  every 
coniimmity,  and  their  thoughts  and  efforts  are  needed  to 
bring  about  many  reforms.  Keeping  house  and  taking 
care  of  children  will  not  fully  satisfy  the  nature  of  any 
educated  woman. 

To  speak,  write,  or  act  for  the  good  of  our  sex  is  to  do  so 
for  the  good  of  the  race  ;  it  is  calling  for  a  heartier  and  fuller 
humanity  than  exists. 

Let  women  go  into  all  the  occupations  of  men  they  are 
capable  of  carrying  on,  and  then  demand  fair  prices.  The 
influence  they  gain  thereby  will  enable  them  to  acquire 
political  power.  This  will  do  away  with  their  social  and 
political  inferiority.  Undoubtedly  much  prejudice  has  been 
done  away,  and  much  good  accomplished,  by  Woman's 
llights*  Conventions.  Attention  has  thereby  been  called 
to  social  wrongs,  civil  disabilities,  and  unjust  laws.  Men 
have  been  talked  of  as  human  beings,  not  as  gods.  Injus 
tice  was  attributed  to  thoughtlessness  and  ignorance  in 
some,  and  to  the  crqd,  selfish,  unjust  natures  of  others. 
While  women's  duties  were  kept  in  view,  men's  were  not 
ignored.  The  views  of  many  men  respecting  women's 
duties  and  proprieties  were  critically,  and  often  sarcasti- 


REFORM.  153 

cally,  treated.  The  agitation  of  the  subject  undoubtedly 
did  good.  Numberless  domestic,  social,  educational,  and 
civil  errors  were  mentioned,  that  civilization,  philanthropy, 
and  justice  had  not  eradicated.  Many  difficulties  that  stood 
high  in  the  way  of  reform  were  enumerated,  and  a  few  plans 
offered  to  better  the  present  condition  of  affairs.  Claims 
were  laid  to  all  the  rights  that  belong  to  a  human  being, 
and  that  men  claim  for  themselves.  The  most  important 
demand  was  the  suffrage  of  women.  The  members  of  these 
conventions  met  to  educe  opinions,  call  out  facts,  discuss 
plans,  and  create  power.  They  exhibited  talent  and  intel 
ligence,  and  have  succeeded  in  awakening  thought  and 
drawing  attention  to  existing  evils.  But  the  reformers 
are  not  sufficiently  practical.  They  show  how  matters 
stand,  but  do  not  suggest,  as  fully  as  they  might,  how  to 
remedy  them. 

As  a  people,  they  are  much  influenced  by  their  prejudices. 
A  desire  for  notoriety  is  the  mainspring  of  action  with  some 
of  the  leaders.  They  make  an  effort  for  the  promotion  of 
their  own  individual  interests,  regardless  of  the  general 
welfare  of  the  sex.  In  order  to  receive  more  eclat  them 
selves,  they  keep  the  public  ignorant  of  those  that  have 
been  quite  as  diligent,  and  more  self-sacrificing,  in  the  same 
cause,  and  have  appropriated  the  result  of  their  labors  as 
the  fruits  of  their  own.  But  some  of  the  members  are 
undoubtedly  honorable  and  conscientious  women. 

In  woman's  work  and  wages  the  times  are  a  century  or 
more  behind  the  improvements  made  in  science  and  art. 
Society  is  tardy,  dragging,  in  the  matter.  The  present 
state  of  affairs  is  a  disgrace  to  the  civilized  world.  Amer 
ica,  proud  and  strong,  goes  forth  in  the  freshness  of  a  young 
and  prosperous  nation  ;  but  a  cancer  is  consuming  her  life. 
Well  may  she  blush  for  the  disgrace  that  rests  on  her  other 
wise  fair  escutcheon,  in  the  fact  that  hundreds,  yes,  thou 
sands,  of  her  women,  and  many  of  them  educated  women, 
are  prostitutes  this  day  from  the  want  of  remunerative 
labor. 

Woman  must   have  the  right  to  accumulate  and   hold 


REFORM. 

property,  and  public  opinion  must  accord  her,  without  re 
flection,  the  right  to  enter  any  respectable  employment, 
before  she  can  occupy  her  true  position. 

Men  who  are  in  occupations  suitable  for  women  should 
be  taxed  fifty  per  cent,  of  their  profits,  to  support  poor 
women  whom  they  have  thus  selfishly  elbowed  out  of 
places  where  they  might  earn  a  living,  and  who  must 
subsist  on  alms,  or  starve. 

One  of  the  most  dreadful  features  in  war  has  ceased. 
Women  are  no  longer  made  slaves,  and  subjected  to  dis 
honor,  if  their  country  is  conquered,  or  their  husbands, 
fathers,  and  brothers  taken  prisoners, 

We  have  seen  it  suggested  that  much  good  might  be  done, 
as  opportunities  offer,  by  clergymen  and  physicians,  for  kind 
and  worthy  employers,  by  inspiring  the  confidence  of  their 
work-people  in  them,  thereby  carrying  out  the  suggestion 
made  by  Bacon,  that  a  friend  may  say  for  another  what 
he  would  not  like  to  say  for  himself. 

Since  1850  the  laws  respecting  woman  have  been  changed 
in  a  large  number  of  states.  In  several  of  the  states  women 
can  now  transact  business  in  their  own  names.  We  have 
more  than  once  seen  the  announcement  of  gentlemen  taking 
their  daughters  into  partnership  in  the  mercantile  business. 
There  is  a  woollen  manufactory  carried  on  in  Worcester 
County,  Mass.,  by  some  ladies  and  gentlemen,  each  owning 
his  and  her  portion  of  the  stock,  and  drawing  his  and  her 
individual  proportion  of  the  profits.  The  ladies  are  sisters 
of  two  of  the  gentlemen  partners.  The  citizens  of  Erving, 
Mass.,  elected,  not  long  ago,  a  woman  as  a  member  of  the 
school  committee.  In  some  places  women  have  the  privi- 
lege  of  voting  for  school  commissioners,  or  trustees  ;  but 
they  have  not  often  used  the  privilege.  The  right  to  vote 
on  church  matters  is  permitted  women  in  some  churches. 
At  a  railroad  meeting  in  Pennsylvania,  a  lady,  who  owned 
stock,  cast  her  vote,  and  the  president  expressed  himself 
much  gratified. 

There  are  some  people  who  sneer  at  an  attempt  to  make 
any  reformatory  change  in  domestic,  social,  or  civil  life. 


REFORM. 


155 


They  are  generally  those  who  are  very  foiid  of  their  ease 
and  self-indulgence,  and  fear  they  may  be  called  upon  to 
make  some  exertion  or  sacrifice. 

Woman  is  expected  to  be  a  moral  reformer.  It  is  by 
moral  influence  that  the  greatest  amount  of  good  can  be 
accomplished ;  and  this  can  be  most  effectually  exerted  on 
the  rising  generation  by  woman.  Women  must  be^  united 
in  their  efforts  to  overcome  opinions  and  customs  prejudicial 
to  their  welfare.  If  they  work  persistently,  but  gradually, 
they  will  meet  with  but  little  opposition  from  reasonable 

men. 

Let  not  any  good  cause  fail  and  languish  for  want  of  right 
management  and  due  support.     Those  that  advance  its  in 
terests  will  ever  have  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  others  that 
can  appreciate   what   is    noble,   and    pure,   and   elevating. 
Read,    talk,   lecture,   and  write   upon   every   good   subject 
you  are  interested  in.      Consider  that  every  rational  per 
son  knows  something,  and,  perhaps,  you  will  not  make  a 
statement,  upon  general  subjects,  that  has  not  entered^ the 
mind,  at  some  time,  of  one  or  more  of  your  hearers.     The 
laws  pertaining  to  women,  and  their  work  and  wages,  offer 
a  wide  field  for  thought  and  effort.     Many  ideas  on  these 
subjects  that  you  advance  may  be  entirely  new  to  those  you 
meet  with.     Express  your  ideas  slowly  and  carefully,  that 
they  may  be  taken  in  fully  by  your  hearers.     Judgment  is 
required  in  your  zeal  for  doing  good.     Without  it  the  very 
cause  may  fail  that  you  wish  to  prosper.      Courage  and 
judgment    can    conquer    evils    otherwise    insurmountable. 
Duty  calls  to  activity.      Obey  the   mandate,  and  go   for 
ward,  trusting  in  God,  the  great  and  everlasting  God. 


156          WOMEN  USEFUL  AND    ORNAMENTAL. 


WOMEN   SHOULD   BE  USEFUL   AS   WELL  AS 
ORNAMENTAL. 

THE  ideas  of  beauty  and  utility  are  closely  associated  in 
the  minds  of  Americans.      Providence  designed  that 
women   should  render  themselves    useful.      We   draw  the 
inference   from   the  fact   that  all   the  rest  of  creation  was 
designed  for  some  special  purpose. 

Much  stress  is   laid  upon  genius.     Men  and  women  of 
genius  are  rare.      Seldom  does  the  wild,  erratic  course  of 
genius  avail  much  of  itself.     It  usually  generates  the  mate 
rials  for  more  methodical  minds  to  work  upon.     They  must 
be  collected  together,  cut,  smoothed,  and  formed  into  a  fab 
ric.     Brilliancy  of  mind  is  not  required  to  build  the  struc 
ture.     An  ability  to  systematize  and  render  substantial  is 
more  wanted.     Some  women  are  peculiarly  fitted  for  this 
work.      They  can  so   mould   and  finish  the  materials  col 
lected  as  to  bring  them  into  beautiful  and  graceful  form. 
The  strength,  vigor,  and  power  of  endurance  required  to 
prosecute  literary  pursuits   are  possessed   by  few  women. 
In  some  cases  their  intellects  far  exceed  their  bodily  pow 
ers,  and  they  fret  and  wear  themselves  away,  from  inability 
to  carry  out  their  plans  and  wishes.     With  the  failure  of 
health  is  the  loss  of  that  elasticity  and  freshness  of  mind  so 
necessary  for  good  writing.     A  few  acquire  excellence  who 
have  not  that  kind  of  physical  strength  required  for  manual 
labor.    Few  women,  until  within  the  last  twenty  years,  have 
made  literature  a  profession.     With  most  it  was,  and  is,  a 
pastime. 

Women  that  labor  hard  physically,  and  are  much  exposed 
to  the  changes  of  the  weather,  lose  some  of  the  fineness  and 
delicacy  that  Nature  originally  gave  them  ;  yet,  if  they  pos 
sess  strong  constitutions,  and  do  not  labor  in  excess,  they 
have  an  equivalent  in  better  health. 


ACHIEVEMENTS    UNDER    DIFFICULTIES.       157 


ACHIEVEMENTS   UNDER   DIFFICULTIES. 

TUIE  more  we  know  of  any  object  or  phenomena  in  na 
ture,  any  chemical  or  mechanical  process,  the  liberal 
arts,  any  scientific,  or  literary  pursuit,  in  short,  the  more 
we  know  of  any  subject,  the  better  we  like  it. 

What  we  obtain  by  our  own  exertions  ennobles  us,  what 
we  receive  as  a  gift,  or  by  inheritance,  tends  to  enervate. 
Necessity  sharpens  the  faculties  of  a  person  not  naturally 
obtuse. 

The  great  body  of  women  seem  to  be  in  a  chrysalis  state. 
They  do  not  feel  satisfied  longer  to  be  mere  u  hewers  of 
wood,  and  drawers  of  water."  Yet  they  seem  to  lack 
either  talent,  industry,  opportunity,  or  moral  courage,  to  fit 
themselves  for  a  desirable  and  definite  calling. 

Many  women  have  been  without  sufficient  general  intelli 
gence  to  mark  out  for  themselves  any  distinct  plan,  and  some 
have  been  without  the  means,  or  self-reliance,  to  carry  out 
such  a  plan.  Yet  the  aspirations  of  women  are  pointing  to  a 
higher  position.  This  is  a  favorable  indication.  If  women 
can  only  be  impressed  with  their  want  of  fitness  for  occupy 
ing  more  honorable  and  lucrative  positions,  they  will  make 
the  effort  to  acquire  the  requisite  fitness.  A  few,  to  their 
honor,  be  it  said,  have  already  done  so. 

As  a  general  thing,  women  place  too  low  an  estimate  on 
their  work,  while  the  reverse  is  true  of  men.  It  probably  ari 
ses  from  the  unjust  compensation  hitherto  rendered  woman. 

M.  Maistre  says,  "  Women,  who  want  to  distinguish 
themselves,  only  make  themselves  enemies  of  both  sexes  ; 
of  man,  because  he  don't  want  woman  to  be  his  equal  —  of 
woman,  because  she  does  not  want  to  be  surpassed  by  a 
woman,  &c."  If  woman  has  so  much  to  contend  with  in 
gnining  distinction,  she  deserves  the  more  credit  when  suc 
cessful. 


158  FEMALE  INVENTORS. 


FEMALE  INVENTORS. 

•  AN,  having  excluded  woman  from  all  opportunity  of 
mechanical  education,  turns  and  reproaches  her  with 
having  invented  nothing.  But  one  remarkable  fact  is  over 
looked*  Society  limits  woman's  sphere  to  the  needle,  the 
scissors,  the  spindle,  the  distaff,  and  the  basket ;  and  tradi 
tion  reports  that  she  herself  invented  all.  If  she  has  in 
vented  her  tools  as  fast  as  she  has  found  opportunity  to  use 
them,  can  more  be  asked?" 

The  "Newark  Advertiser"  mentions  a  woman  near  Tren 
ton  that  is  a  skillful  mechanic.  She  has  made  a  carriage,  and 
can  make  a  violin,  or  a  gun.  She  is  only  twenty-five  years 
old.  The  mechanical  genius  of  women  has  never  been  ex 
ercised  to  any  extent*  It  may  lie  dormant  in  woman,  but 
when  it  is  awakened  and  cultivated,  though  the  present  gen 
eration  of  women  may  not  accomplish  anything,  the  next 
will. 

The  imagination  and  taste  of  women  are  superior  to  those 
of  men.  Women  display  ingenuity  in  designs  for  dress 
goods,  wall  paper,  and  such  articles  ;  why  may  they  not  in 
the  mechanical  department,  if  called  to  exercise  their  talents 
in  that  way?  Centuries  have  rolled  by,  and  woman  has 
never  been  engaged  in  anything  of  the  kind.  Is  it  to  be 
expected  that  she  could,  at  once,  bring  in  play  as  great  in 
ventive  talent  as  man,  whose  ancestors,  for  centuries  back, 
have  been  so  occupied  ?  No  ;  such  rapid  development  would 
be  marvelous,  if  not  miraculous. 

So  much  has  been  done  for  popular  education  in  our  coun 
try —  the  education  of  the  masses  —  that  we  may  confident 
ly  look  forward  to  many  discoveries  and  inventions  having 


FEMALE  INVENTORS.  159 

their  origin  among  us,  and  when  encouragement  is  given 
to  the  ingenuity,  and  enterprise,  of  woman,  the  number,  we 
hope,  will  greatly  increase. 

We  will  quote  at  length  an  article  on  the  subject  of  female 
inventors,  by  Miss  Mary  L.  Booth,  "  When  woman's  pow 
er  to  work  is  called  in  question,  men  almost  always  remark, 
that  she  has  shown  no  inventive  genius  whatever.  Should 
a  proper  history  of  the  arts  ever  be  written,  this  will  be 
found  to  be  an  entire  mistake.  Patentees  are  not  always 
inventors  ;  and  many  of  these,  after  hopeless  labor  carried 
on  for  years,  have  owed  a  final  success  to  some  woman's 
power  of  adaptation.  We  need  not,  however,  take  refuge 
in  general  statement,  nor  in  the  traditional  fact  that  she 
invented  spindle,  distaff,  needle,  and*  scissors.  Any  new-? 
born  barbarian,  pressed  by  necessity,  might  accomplish  so 
much.  The  most  delicate  and  beautiful  obstetrical  instru^ 
nients  were  invented  by  Madame  Boivin.  Madame  Ducou- 
dray  invented  the  manikin  ;*  Madame  Breton,  the  system  of 
artificial  nourishment  for  babes ;  Morandi  and  Biheron 
adapted  wax  to  the  purposes  of  medical  illustration  ;  and  it 
was  to  the  observations  of  Mademoiselle  Biheron,  recorded 
in  wax,  that  Dr.  Hunter  owed  the  illustrations  of  his  best 
work.  lie  was  her  generous  friend  ;  but  she  preceded  him, 
seven  years  in  this  direction,  and  may  possibly  have  given 
him  the  right  to  use  her  observations  as  his  own.  Madame 
Roudet  has,  in  the  present  century,  invented  a  tube  to  be 
used  in  cases  of  restoration  from  asphyxia,  Jt  is  easy  to 
quote  these  cases  from  the  history  of  medicine,  because  an 
honest  French  physician  has  taken  pains  to  preserve  them  ; 
but  the  following  instances  pf  inventive  and  mechanical 
power  may  be  less  known. 

"  In  1823,  the  first  patent  of  invention  was  taken  out  in 
Paris,  by  Madame  Dutillet,  for  the  formation  of  artificial 
marble.  This  was  so  successful  a  patent,  that  she  sold  it 
in  1824  ;  and  the  purchaser  renewed  it  with  still  further  im- 
provemeuts. 

"  In  1836,  Burrows,  an  Englishman,  took  out  a  patent  for 
cement,  Madame  £e*»  °^  Paris,  found  this  cement  a  fail? 


1GO  FEMALE  INVENTORS. 

lire  in  damp  places,  and  published  a  method  of  less  limited 
application,  in  which  bitumen  was  employed. 

u  In  1840,  Mrs.  Marshall,  once  of  Manchester,  England, 
and  now  of  Edinburgh,  was  struck  with  the  idea,  that  the 
electric  forces  evolved  by  decaying  animal  and  vegetable 
matter,  acting  upon  calcareous  substances,  must  have  much 
to  do  with  the  natural  formation  of  marble.  In  five  years, 
by  upwards  of  ten  thousand  experiments,  she  perfected  an 
artificial  marble,  whose  constituents  and  manufacture  were 
entirely  within  control,  and  which  could  be  made  in  hours 
or  months,  at  the  maker's  volition.  To  this  cement  she 
gave  the  simple  Italian  name  of  intonuca.  It  is  singular 
that  she  should  so  intuitively  have  seized  this  secret ;  for, 
under  Madame  Dutille^'s  patent,  we  are  expressly  informed 
that  all  vegetable  matter  must  be  removed  from  the  com 
position,  if  we  would  have  the  cement  indestructible.  The 
example  is  an  interesting  one  ;  for  the  ten  thousand  disa 
greeable  experiments  show  that  one  woman,  at  least,  pos 
sessed  the  power  of  persistent  application,  of  long  protracted 
labor,  so  often  denied." 


WOMEN  MUST  EXERT   THEMSELVES.          101 


WOMEN   NEED   TO  EXERT   THEMSELVES, 

WOMEN  who  wish  to  advance  the  welfare  of  their  sex 
must  exert  themselves.  Their  influence  and  their 
pens  must  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  subject.  In  the  prog 
ress  of  such  matters,  a  great  deal  depends  on  the  firm, 
amiable,  and  judicious  action  of  women.  The  waves  they 
set  in  motion  may  roll  until  thousand*  have  felt  their  influ 
ence.  Through  others  they  may  also  do  much. 

Nervous,  sensitive,  delicate  women  may  have  their  con 
dition  greatly  ameliorated  by  the  efforts  of  those  more 
highly  favored.  They  are  more  likely  to  suffer  than  those 
who,  with  goocl  health  and  strong  muscles,  are  able  to  per* 
form  severe  physical  labor. 

One  of  the  great  troubles  in  the  middle  class  of  women 
is,  they  are  too  proud.  They  are  not  willing  to  engage  in 
any  honest  labor  that  offers,  They  must  do  the  Jdii4  they 
are  accustomed  to,  or  none,  jVQOther  class  of  women  are 
idle,  and  will  not  work,  offering  the  excuse  they  cannot  ob 
tain  employment.  Women  do  not  rely  enough  on  them 
selves,  nor  keep  sufficiently  impressed  with  the  conscious 
ness  that  one  must  have  a  stout  heart  and  a  ready  hand  to 
succeed.  A  large  number  are  deficient  in  perseverance, 
without  which  nothing  of  importance  can  be  accomplished. 

The  principal  reason  that  women  do  not  effect  more 
in  reformatory  movements  and  other  good  works  is,  they 
do  not  meet  and  consult  about  the  matter  as  men  do.  Per- 
haps  half  a  dozen  ladies  of  narrow  views  and  strong  pre 
judices,  unaccustomed  to  business,  meet,  and  talk  over, 
and  squabble  about,  the  work  to  be  done,  the  plans  to  be 
laid,  the  money  to  be  spent,  and  so  forth.  If  they  held  a 
public  meeting,  as  men  do,  and  had  the  various  opinions  of 
11 


162  WOMEN  MUST  EXERT  THEMSELVES. 

well-matured  minds,  and  the  benevolence  of  a  liberal  phi 
lanthropy  to  act  upon,  different  results  would  be  produced. 
Others,  on  seeing  that  the  talkers  and  organizers  knew  what 
they  were  about,  and  were  qualified  to  advance,  would  give 
of  their  time  and  money. 

If  every  woman,  who  desires  to  see  justice  done  her  sex, 
would  not  purchase  at  stores  and  shops  attended  by  men, 
and  would  influence  her  friends  to  pursue  the  same  plan, 
an  immense  amount  of  good  might  be  accomplished  by 
directing  labor  in  its  proper  channels. 


DEPENDENT   WOMEN.  163 


DEPENDENT   WOMEN. 

SOMETIMES  fathers  die,  brothers  marry,  and  sisters 
are  left  to  take  care  of  themselves  as  best  they  can. 
The  state  of  their  health,  their  support,  and  standing  in  soci 
ety,  devolve  on  themselves.  Some  become  dependent  on 
relatives  or  friends,  that  would  gladly  free  themselves  from 
the  obligation  if  they  only  knew  what  to  do  —  how  they 
might  successfully  labor.  The  dull,  sluggish  stream  of  life 
would  run  leaping  and  bounding  through  their  veins  were 
the  mist  on  their  paths  thus  dissipated.  A  woman  of  hon 
orable  and  independent  feeling  would  rather  be  placed  in  the 
way  of  doing  something  for  herself  by  her  own  exertions 
than  receive  charitable  aid  forever.  To  be  dependent  pro 
duces  an  abject  feeling,  and  often  must  freedom  of  opinion 
and  speech  be  sacrificed  out  of  respect  to  the  donor.  A 
noble  independence  will  give  vigor  and  energy,  to  body  and 
mind,  when  the  way  for  exercising  that  independence  is 
open. 

Some  people  think  it  is  more  honorable  for  a  single  lady 
to  be  dependent  on  a  father,  with  a  salary  of  twelve  or  fif 
teen  hundred  dollars,  and  a  large  family  to  support,  or  on  a 
married  brother  or  sister,  than  employ  her  own  energies. 
But  it  is  not  pleasant  for  adults  to  accept  a  home  even  with 
their  parents,  unless  they  are  good,  true,  and  kind  people  ; 
unless  they  feel  that  they  are  welcome,  and  know  that  their 
parents  have  an  ample  supply  of  this  world's  goods. 

Some  women  are  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  earn  even  the 
food  that  nature  craves.  They  know  not  where  to  go.  All 
is  vague  uncertainty.  They  are  like  children  groping  in  the 
dark,  bewildered  and  helpless.  A  mother's  thoughts  are 
quickened,  her  wits  sharpened,  when  hungry  children  appeal 


164  DEPENDENT   WOMEN. 

to  her  for  bread.  Yet  her  thoughts  and  wits  may  be  brought 
to  a  stand  for  the  lack  of  remunerative  employment. 

Some  women  have  no  relatives,  a  number  have  relatives 
that  they  would  not  be  under  obligation  to,  and  a  few  have 
relatives  that  they  would  be  better  off  without.  Some  peo 
ple  aid  female  relatives  from  a  sense  of  duty  or  affection,  or 
both,  some  because  they  would  not  be  respected  by  the 
best  portion  of  the  community  if  they  did  not,  and  some  do 
so  because  they  think  it  reflects  credit  on  themselves  ;  but 
the  amount  of  injustice  and  unkind  treatment  towards  many 
such  will  never  be  revealed  until,  at  the  judgment  bar  of 
God,  all  hearts  and  actions  are  made  known.  Many  wo 
men  fear  to  offend  their  relatives  by  exerting  themselves  to 
earn  a  livelihood  (because  it  may  reflect  on  them),  while, 
at  the  same  time,  they  receive  a  mere  pittance,  grudgingly 
given.  Their  pride  is  galled,  and  their  feelings  hurt ;  but 
the  uncertainty  whether  they  can  always  maintain  them 
selves  decides  their  course.  The  obligation  of  many  men 
to  support  female  relatives  who  are  unable  to  support  them 
selves,  is  frightfully  ignored  in  the  United  States  ;  also  the 
obligation  to  fit  female  relatives  of  health  and  strength  for 
taking  care  of  themselves.  Let  a  woman  have  a  regular 
occupation,  and  be  properly  compensated  for  her  labor,  and 
she  will  be  as  well  cared  for  as  if  she  depends  on  others. 
With  such  practical  training,  and  correct  principles,  a  woman 
will  have  a  reliable  capital.  She  may  find  the  advice  of 
kind,  judicious  friends  valuable.  If  a  more  sensible,  mat 
ter-of-fact  view  were  taken  of  the  reverses  to  which  people 
are  liable  in  our  country,  it  would  be  rather  a  source  of 
pride  than  mortification,  that  one  has  some  pursuit  that  can 
be  turned  to  account  in  case  of  emergency. 

It  would  be  well  for  women  who  have  been  engaged  in 
non-domestic  pursuits,  and  who  have  an  opportunity,  and 
•wish  to  marry,  to  fit  themselves  for  housekeeping  by  taking 
lessons  in  a  school  of  cookery,  and  learning  how  to  cut  out 
and  make  clothes.  Such  institutions  exist  in  Germany. 


WOMEN'S  RIGHTS  AND    WRONGS.  165 


WOMEN'S   RIGHTS   AND   WRONGS. 

SOCIETY  has  deprived  women  of  the  best  employments 
for  earning  a  livelihood,  and  so  far  it  has  wronged 
them.  No  one  could  convince  us  that  a  large  portion  of  the 
workwomen  in  New  York  city  are  not  wronged  and  perse 
cuted.  They  are  wronged  in  the  contemptible  wages  paid 
them.  They  are  wronged  in  the  size  and  arrangement  of 
their  work-rooms.  They  are  persecuted  in  the  close,  tyran 
nizing  oversight  to  which  they  are  subjected  while  at  work. 
Instead  of  encouraging  women  in  being  virtuous,  the 
tendency  of  society  has  been  to  develop  what  in  them  is 
weak  and  sinful,  and  to  keep  them  in  ignorance.  The  re 
sult  has  been  to  make  women  more  dependent  on  men,  and 
more  thorough  drudges. 

Some  women  are  censured,  as  the  result  of  bearing  wrong 
from  others  and  not  making  it  known.  They  are  forced  by 
circumstances  to  do  things  that  seem  improper,  but  which 
in  reality  are  good  and  just,  and  cost  a  great  sacrifice  of 
time,  money,  and  health.  They  do  it  rather  than  expose 
their  persecutors.  The  harassing,  life-corroding  annoy 
ances,  are  many,  to  which  some  women  are  subjected  by 
unprincipled,  selfish,  or  bad-tempered  relatives  or  connec 
tions  —  annoyances  that  fret  and  chafe  the  spirit,  and  which 
they  must  bear  in  secret,  or,  by  making  known,  subject  them 
selves  to  the  remarks  of  those  who  have  neither  the  heart, 
nor  the  courage,  to  protect  them  in  either  words,  or  deeds. 

If  as  much  had  been  said  about  the  rights  and  wrongs  of 
women  as  about  their  duties,  and  by  the  same  kind  of 
writers,  an  incomparable  amount  of  good  might  have  been 
accomplished. 

We  have  heard  of  a  Bishop  of  London  remarking  tha* 


166  WOMEN'S  RIGHTS  AND    WRONGS. 

God  sent  two  angels  to  earth  —  one  to  sweep  the  streets, 
and  the  other  to  sit  on  a  throne.  As  we  have  watched  the 
Avoman  drudge,  and  then  turned  to  gaze  at  the  fashionable 
lady,  we  have  thought  the  remark  well  applied  to  women 
in  different  conditions  of  life. 

In  no  country,  and  at  no  tirne,  have  women  been  placed 
on  an  equality  with  men  by  legislative  enactment,  except  in 
Sparta,  by  Lycurgus.  But  the  legislation  and  administra 
tion  of  most  governments  are,  and  over  have  been,  but  the 
expression  of  the  interest,  prejudice,  passion,  and  error  of 
those  in  office. 

*'  It  was  the  design  of  Dalrymple  —  a  deep  enthusiast, 
but  a  man  of  some  ability  —  in  a  colony  which  he  attempted 
to  form,  that  women  should  be  admitted  into  a  similar  par 
ticipation  of  political  rights,  and  should  possess  an  equal 
voice  in  the  legislature,  with  the  other  sex." 

By  punishing  women,  men  acknowledge  them  rational  and 
responsible  beings  ;  and  if  so,  they  certainly  have  a  right  to 
assist  in  making  laws,  and  assist  in  enforcing  them,  if  so 
disposed  ;  at  any  rate,  aid  in  electing  those  who  will.  They 
have  the  right  to  impartial  inquiry  and  free  discussion. 
They  have  a  right  to  the  advantages  of  such  colleges  as  they 
help,  by  taxation,  to  support  for  the  other  sex. 

It  is  not  just  to  trust  any  person  with  limitless  power 
over  the  life  and  property  of  any  human  being,  whether 
child  or  adult,  whether  man  or  woman,  whether  rational 
or  irrational. 

How  little  we  know  of  the  under-current  of  thought  and 
feeling  of  those  with  whom  we  every  day  associate  !  How 
the  heart  may  be  wrung  with  anguish,  while  the  face  must 
le  calm  !  How  unutterable  loneliness  and  desolation  may 
be  endured,  and  life  still  hang  like  an  incubus  on  the  sufr 
ferer ! 

When  I  consider  the  neglect,  suspicion,  and  uukindness, 
that  a  woman,  of  education,  worth  and  some  means,  may 
suffer,  iu  a  large  city,  where  she  has  expended  her  strength, 
time,  money,  and  efforts  to  benefit  others,  I  am  not  sur* 
prised  at  any  amount  of  imposition,  fraud,  even  cruelty,  to. 


WOMEN'S  RIGHTS  AND    WRONGS.  1G7 

-which  many  working  women  may  be,  and  undoubtedly  are, 
subjected.     God  help  them  I 

And  to  these  trials  of  business  life  there  are,  io  many 
cases,  to  be  added  the  terrible  one  of  domestic  trouble. 
Many  a  woman  returns  home  after  her  day's  labors  to  re 
ceive  unjust  and  irritating  treatment  from  those  to  whom 
she  is  related  by  marriage  or  blood.  She  sees  hypocrisy 
and  untruthfuluess  practiced  by  them  in  their  homes.  She 
sees  them,  corrupt  in  principle  and  character,  before  the 
world,  pleasing  in  their  address,  and  uttering  smooth,  fair 
words,  and  she  sees  that  because  the  world  never  looks 
beneath  the  surface,  they  are  enabled  to  command  attention, 
influence  and  position.  Where  can  the  victim  of  such  con 
duct  turn  for  the  covert  of  a  home?  wJ^^j^^xr^U^ion  ? 
Is  it  strange  that  the  brain  turns,  and  reels,  and  grows  dizzy? 
Is  it  strange  that  the  heart  breaks,  and  that  suicide,  or  in 
sanity,  terminates  the  unhappy  woman's  career? 

Public  opinion  has  always  been  unjust  in  not  granting 
some  and  sustaining  other  privileges,  liberties,  and  rights 
due  to  women.  Public  opinion  is  likft  »^  flftk  tree.  Every 
leaf  may  be  scattered,  every  bough  broken,  and  limb  after 
limb  torn  away,  but  the  body  has  been  made  strong  by 
these  leaves,  boughs,  and  limbs.  Let  us,  then,  destroy  the 
leaves  of  error,  break  the  boughs  of  prejudice,  and  tear 
away  every  limb,  that  ignorance,  false  reasoning,  and  un 
just  laws,  have  combined  to  make  strong  this  oak  —  the 
growth  of  ages. 


168  LAWS   UNJUST  TO    WOMEN. 


BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  LAWS  UNJUST  TO  WOMEN. 

HOW  often  do  we  hear  women  say,  when  these  matters 
are  referred  to,  "  O,  I  am  well  enough  off;  I  wish 
for  nothing  better."  Some  of  these  are  too  indolent,  and 
some  have  not  the  time,  or  inclination,  to  investigate  the 
subject.  Others  fear  losing  the  admiration  of  the  other 
sex  by  expressing  the  opinion  that  some  of  the  laws  do 
riot  afford  to  women  the  rights  and  privileges  that  men 
would  very  speedily  claim,  if  the  matter  was  reversed. 
Others  again  are  prosperous  and  happy,  and  care  not  to 
know  of  existing  wrongs,  and  how  they  may  rectify  them. 
Women  satisfied  to  endure,  or  see  endured,  such  wrongs, 
exhibit  the  enervating  effects  of  the  false  system' under  which 
they  have  lived.  They  manifest  that  servile  condition  that 
always  attends  subserviency.  They  exhibit  either  selfish 
ness,  conscious  inferiority,  or  moral  cowardice.  The  com 
placent,  politic,  and  selfish  spirit  of  the  women  described 
above  is  not  that  of  the  unhappy  woman  divorced  from 
her  husband,  whose  children  are  all  taken  and  kept  by  him 
who  is  trifling  and  worthless,  and  who  sets  them  a  wretched 
example.  Nor  is  it  that  of  the  woman  whose  husband  op 
presses  her,  and  denies  her  the  comforts  of  life,  or  furnishes 
her  with  only  a  scanty  subsistence,  while  he  spends  hun 
dreds  and  thousands  on  himself,  and  squanders  his  estate, 
leaving  his  children  helpless  on  a  cold,  heartless  world. 
Nor  is  it  so  with  the  wife  who,  by  labor  and  self-denial, 
has  assisted  in  acquiring  property,  and  whose  husband  may 
transfer  all  the  property  acquired  to  those  that  have  no 
claim  on  his  kindness.  'Tis  true  she  may,  at  his  death, 
if  application  is  made  in  time,  receive  her  thirds  for  the 
remainder  of  her  life;  but  the  children  may  be  deprived 


LAWS   UNJUST  TO    WOMEN.  169 

Massachusetts,  Maine,  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  Ohio, 
California,  and  some  of  the  other  states,  have,  within  the 
last  twenty  years,  entitled  married  women  to  their  own 
earnings.  Previous  to  that  there  was  no  law  to  prevent 
a  man  from  collecting  the  money  due  his  wife  for  labor, 
and  in  some  of  the  states  it  can  now  be  done.  The  author 
of  "  Woman  in  America"  says,  "  The  wisest  of  men  adds, 
4  Give  her  of  the  fruit  of  her  hands,  and  let  her  own  works 
praise  her  in  the  gates,'  therein  laying  down  a  rule  of  justice, 
in  regard  to  woman's  rights  over  her  own  property,  far  more 
correct  than  any  recognized  by  our  modern  laws."  In  some 
of  the  states,  a  woman's  property,  on  marriage,  passes  into 
the  hands  of  the  husband.  So  by  marrying  a  rich  woman 
a  man  will  come  in  possession  of  her  property,  which  he  can 
squander  in  the  gratification  of  his  own  pleasures,  thereby 
plunging  her  into  poverty  and  ruin.  She  cannot  bequeath 
any  of  the  real  estate  she  owned  at  the  time  of  her  mar 
riage.  If  a  married  woman  has  by  her  labor  secured 
property,  in  some  of  the  states,  she  cannot,  at  her  death, 
leave  it  to  her  children,  without  permission  from  her  hus 
band.  If  some  friend  leaves  to  a  woman  with  a  trifling 
husband  a  legacy,  unless  it  is  expressed  to  be  for  her  sepa 
rate  use,  he  may  claim  and  use  it.  She  cannot  even  secure 
it  to  her  children  without  his  consent.  A  married  woman 
cannot  even  claim  the  clothes  she  wears  ;  nor  can  she  attend 
upon  any  church  service,  if  her  husband  forbids  it.  u  If  a 
man  chooses,  by  way  of  tormenting  his  wife,  to  separate  her 
children  from  her,  or  direct  their  lives  in  a  manner  that  she 
conceives  to  be  detrimental  to  them,  she  has  no  sufficient  or 
satisfactory  redress." 

Women  are  taxed  without  representation,  liable  to  be  put 
in  prison,  and  executed  under  laws  they  had  no  voice  in 
making.  They  are  subject  to  those  in  office,  yet  never  can 
hold  office.  A  woman,  in  some  Christian  countries,  cannot 
obtain  a  divorce  from  her  husband  because  of  his  intemper 
ance,  though  he  may  have  sunk  as  low  as  a  beast ;  nor  can 
she  for  the  exercise,  in  her  husband,  of  a  malicious  temper. 

In  England  sixty  thousand  women,  last  May,  signed  peti- 


170  LAWS   UNJUST  TO    WOMEN. 

tions  for  the  alteration  of  the  law  respecting  married  women's 
property.  The  alteration  required  is  to  give  married  women 
a  right  to  their  own  earnings.  This  decides  whether  wo 
men  desire  to  possess  the  fruits  of  their  labor. 

A  remissness,  corresponding  in  extent  to  the  stringencies 
referred  to,  lies  in  the  fact  that  if  a  woman  has  property, 
the  laws  and  the  courts  expect  her  to  have  sense  enough  to 
know  what  property  she  has,  and  firmness  enough  to  hold 
it,  no  matter  what  her  age  or  circumstances.  It  matters 
not  if  her  judgment  is  impaired  by  old  age  ;  it  matters  not 
if  she  is  weak  and  silly,  yielding  to  the  selfish  whims  of  a 
spoiled  favorite,  and  withholding  the  just  claims  of  those 
more  worthy. 

Many  barbarous  customs  in  relation  to  women  continue 
to  exist.  A  man  can  spend  his  wife's  earnings  for  drink  — 
in  England  can  even  whip  his  wife  with  impunity.  I  have 
seen  accounts,  now  and  then,  within  the  last  twenty  years, 
of  women  being  sold  in  the  markets  of  England  by  their 
husbands;  and  George  Borrow,  in  his  singular  narrative, 
"JTne  Romany  Rye,"  mentions  the  sale  of  a  wife  with  a 
halter  around  her  neck.  The  legality  or  illegality  of  the 
matter  I  leave  others  to  ascertain ;  but  the  fact  that  such 
transactions  are  permitted  is  not  very  creditable  to  a  country 
ruled  by  a  queen. 

From  a  work,  entitled  "  Woman  and  her  Master,"  by 
J.  Frederick  Smith,  we  read,  "  Strange  that  man  should 
choose  for  a  mate  something  to  tyrannize  over  and  oppress 

—  to  exhaust  his  ill-humor  on  in  secret  —  a  sort  of  human 
conductor,  to  dissipate  the  spleen  which  cowardice  or  inter 
est  prevents  his  venting  on  his  fellow-man.     The  inferior 
creature,  as  an  animal  is  unjustly  called,  might  teach  him  a 
lesson.     '  Nonsense  ! '  some  of  our  male  readers  will  proba 
bly  exclaim.     'Is  there  not  the  law?'     Of  course  there  is 

—  law  for  the  blow,  law  for  the  broken  limb  ;   but  where 
is  the  law  for  the  broken  heart?    for  the  cold  word,  the 
bitter  sneer,  the  daily  outrage  of  unkind  looks,  which  mocks 
the  sufferer's  patience  ?     There  is  none.     She  is  his  prop 
erty —  his  slave.      In   puritanical  Christian   England,   we 


LAWS   UNJUST  TO    WOMEN.  171 

affect  to  pity  the  women  of  the  East,  who  are  bought  and 
sold  in  the  public  markets.  But  they  at  least  possess  one 
advantage  over  their  sisters  in  Europe  ;  their  husbands  treat 
them  well.  They  know  the  price  of  them.  O,  man! 
man  !  it  is  glorious  to  possess  thy  strength,  but  cowardice 
to  abuse  it."  Some  men  seem  to  ignore  the  truth  that 
u  woman  was  not  taken  out  of  man's  head  to  rule  over  him, 
nor  out  of  his  feet  to  be  trampled  upon,  but  she  was  taken 
from  under  his  arm  to  be  protected,  and  from  near  his 
heart  to  love,  and  be  loved." 

Amid  all  the  changes  that  have  taken  place,  as  mankind 
has  advanced  from  a  state  of  barbarism,  to  one  of  the  highest 
enlightenment  and  refinement,  few  and  slight  are  the  changes 
in  law  respecting  woman.  The  laws  lag  behind.  They 
are  the  relics  of  a  coarse,  unformed,  unjust,  ignorant,  and 
prejudiced  age,  when  might  made  right ;  when  physical 
power  decided  the  correctness  of  a  question  in  morals.  The 
fdust  and__  mire  of  those  savage  times  still  come  up^lmcf 
defile  the  laws,  that  a  more  spiritual,  and  intellectual  con 
dition,  might  be  supposed  to  bring  about.  A  married  woman 
iu  the  eyes  of  the  law  is  a  nonentity.  Her  existence,  and 
her  interests,  are  merged  in  those  of  her  husband.  She  is 
entirely  at  his  disposal  —  at  his  mercy.  And  the  terrible 
effects  are  seen  in  the  low  "  cunning,  the  deceit,  the  pan 
dering  to  appetites,  and  passions,  of  many  women." 

The  small  amount  of  woman's  earnings  is  a  disgrace  to 
men  that  pay  them.  And  worse  still,  a  majority  of  femi 
nine  occupations  are  usurped  by  men.  Remarked  Mr.  Cha- 
pin  in  a  lecture  in  New  York,  "  In  this  country,  (America), 
we  reverse  the  law  that  the  strong  should  support  the  weak, 
as  we  oppress  the  weak,  and  we,  the  strong,  prevent  their 
earning  a  support."  At  one  period  of  Grecian  history, 
"  society  then,  as  now,  excluded  women  from  all  legitimate 
sources  by  which  they  might  provide  for  their  subsistence, 
f  and  opened  its  portals  only  to  reward  the  exercise  of  their 
frailties ; "  but  Lycurgus,  in  his  laws  for  Sparta,  raised 
women  to  an  equality  with  men,  and  they  were  universally 
known  as  most  exemplary  wives, 


172  LAWS    UNJUST  TO    WOMEN. 

A  law  should  be  made  enforcing  a  man  of  health  to  sup 
port  his  wife  during  her  life,  and  his  children  until  they  are 
fully  competent  to  provide  for  themselves.  "  The  laws  should 
be  so  amended,  that  a  woman,  ill-treated  by  her  husband, 
should  be  permitted  to  leave  him,  and  to  retain  the  custody 
of  her  children  ;  that  married  women  who  come  into  pos 
session  of  property  by  their  own  acquisition,  by  inheritance, 
or  by  gifts,  should  be  permitted  to  use,  retain,  or  dispose  of 
them  in  their  own  right,  and  that  at  the  death  of  her  hus 
band,  the  wife  should  have  the  same  rights  over  the  prop 
erty  and  children,  that  the  husband  has  when  he  is  the 
survivor."  A  distinguished  artist  is  said  to  have  remarked, 
*  "  The  world  will  never  bu  better  till  men  subject  themselves 
to  the  laws  which  they  impose  on  women." 

Women  most  severe  in  their  judgments,  and  bitter  in 
their  feelings,  towards  men,  are  generally  made  so  by  suf 
fering  from  the  idleness,  bad  conduct,  or  unjust  treatment 
of  male  relatives,  or  connections.  There  should  be  a  law 
prohibiting  the  cruelty  and  harsh  treatment  of  some  parents 
to  their  children,  particularly  daughters.  The  crushing  out 
of  hope,  the  agony  of  spirit,  that  attend  it,  followed  by  mis 
trust,  and  bitterness  of  temper,  are  a  curse,  that  should 
sink  the  perpetrator  into  the  lowest  depths  of  perdition. 
The  injustice  that  the  laws  permit  to  an  individual  from 
coarse,  selfish,  unprincipled  and  dissipated  relatives,  or  mar 
riage  connections,  is  greater  than  would  be  credited,  by  some 
well-bred  Christian  people  who  have  not  investigated  the 
laws.  The  tyranny  and  avariciousness  of  men,  and  the  tar 
diness,  subserviency,  and  selfishness  of  women,  are  at  the 
bottom  of  a  great  deal  of  domestic  and  social  trouble. 

As  public  opinion  changes,  the  customs  of  society  will 
become  more  liberal,  and  in  time,  will  follow  a  correspond 
ing  change  in  the  laws.  The  construction  of  society  in  the 
United  States  should  be  based  upon  more  free,  liberal,  and 
sensible  principles.  We  expect  it.  We  look  for  it.  It  is, 
or  should  be,  a  natural  result  of  the  foundation  on  which  the 
structure  is  erected.  Its  base  lies  more  in  nature,  less  in 
the  conventionalities  of  men,  than  those  of  most  oilier 


L4WS   UNJUST  TO    WOMEN.  173 

nations.  The  mouldy  archives  of  centuries  back  will  not 
answer  for  the  present  time.  We  often  see  decisions  made 
by  courts  and  juries  not  exactly  in  accordance  with  the 
written  laws.  Why  is  it?  Probably  because  people  are 
wiser  now  than  when  some  laws  were  made,  and  because 
the  unwritten  law  is  the  impartial  expression  of  genuine 
feeling  and  opinion. 

It  is  because  of  the  helpless  condition  of  women,  brought 
about  by  unjust  laws,  and  the  customs  induced  thereby,  that 
wicked  men  are  enabled  to  tyrannize  over  and  oppress  wo 
men.  To  men  both  law  and  nature  seem  to  have  given  the 
advantage.  Bad  laws  affect  the  welfare  of  all  who  are  gov 
erned  by  them,  whether  directly  or  indirectly. 

A  great  change  is  certainly  needed,  not  for  those  who  do 
right,  of  course,  but  for  those  who  do  not.     We  know  that 
we  are  better  off  with  our  laws  than  without  any.    Yet  there 
is  room  for  improvement  in  the  making  of  new  laws,  and  the 
amendment  of  old  ones.     Women  always  suffer  most,  and 
are  the  first  to  suffer,  under  a  bad  government.     The  poor 
suffer  more  than  the  rich.     Bad  laws  bring  back  the  dark 
ness  of  past  ages,  and  with  it,  the   ignorance   and  degra 
dation  of  those  ages.    We  believe  the  French  laws  have, 
until  the  recent  changes  in  our  own,  been  considered  most  lib 
eral  to  women.    The  statesmen  of  France  have  been  mostly 
literary  men,  and  we  do  not  see  but  the  statesmanship  of 
France  equals,  in  every  respect,  that  of  any  other  country. 
tWe  ask  for  women  that  they  be  permitted  to  assist  in  mak 
ing  laws  where  they  are  involved.     It  is   only  fair.     Men 
cannot  fully  understand  the  nature,  the  temptations,  the  trials 
of  women.     If  they  could,  and  were  perfect,  they  might  be 
able  to  make  proper  laws  for  women,  for  they  would  then 
act  justly.     As  it  is,  they  are  not.     In  making  laws  to  pro 
tect  the  interests  of  their  sex,  women  could  prevent  an  im 
mense  amount  of  sin  and  misery,  and  not  have  to  confine 
their   labors,  as  now,  to   remedying  the   individual  conse 
quences  of  unjust,  and  oppressive  laws. 


174  SUFFRAGE  OF  WOMEN. 


SUFFRAGE   OF   WOMEN. 

MANY  men  are  very  jealous  of  the  right  of  suffrage. 
Some  sneer  as  if  the  thought  itself  of  a  woman  vot 
ing  were  contemptible.  It  is  a  matter  they  will  not  listen  to. 
Yet  such  think  it  all  right  for  a  rude  and  ignorant  foreigner, 
that  knows  nothing  of  our  institutions,  and  cares  nothing  for 
the  comparative  merits  of  the  candidates,  to  vote.  Is  it 
consistent  ?  Are  not  the  intelligent  portion  of  our  American 
ladies  superior  in  mind  and  cultivation  to  thousands  of  men 
that  do  vote  ?  Have  they  not  a  better  knowledge  of  our  laws 
and  institutions,  than  one  half  of  those  that  now  appear  at 
the  ballot-box  ?  Are  they  not  in  every  respect  more  compe 
tent  than  most  of  the  Germans  and  Irish  that  are  in  this 
country  ?  And  are  they  not  greatly  superior  to  the  majority 
of  Africans  lately  freed,  and  for  whose  right  to  suffrage  so 
many  white  people  are  clamoring,  particularly  the  anti- 
slavery,  equal  rights  women  of  the  NorUi  ?  Many  of  those 
women  seem,  if  possible,  more  anxious  to  obtain  the  right 
of  suffrage  for  negro  men,  than  for  themselves. 

"  The  shrewd  New  Englander,  the  luxurious  Southerner, 
the  positive  Englishman,  the  metaphysical  Scotchman,  the 
jovial  Irishman,  the  excitable  Frenchman,  the  passionate 
Spaniard,  the  voluptuous  Italian,  the  plodding  German,  the 
debased  African,  the  Russian,  the  Pole,  the  Norwegian,  the 
Dane,  are  all  flung  together  in  this  mighty  crucible,  each 
with  his  own  language,  his  own  plans,  his  own  prejudices, 
his  own  religion.  The  antagonistic  elements  are  in  con 
tact,  but  refuse  to  unite,"  save  at  the  ballot-box,  where  all, 
with  one  exception,  can,  after  five  years'  residence  in 
our  country,  cast  in  their  vote.  A  man,  though  unable  to 


SUFFRAGE   OF   WOMEN.  175 

read  or  write,  can  vote.  Drunkards,  gamblers,  and  even 
lunatics  in  their  sane  moments,  if  men,  can  vote. 

Some  say  women  would  neglect  home  duties  of  they  en 
gage  in  matters  of  this  kind.  We  think  not.  The  time 
spent  in  gossiping,  novel-reading,  and  such  pastimes,  would 
be  given  to  an  intelligent  investigation  of  our  laws.  Some 
contend  that  domestic  uuhappiness  might  be  produced  if 
married  women  were  allowed  to  vote,  by  a  difference  of 
opinion  between  them  and  their  husbands.  We  reply,  no 
more  than  by  a  difference  of  religious  opinion. 

A  married  woman  is  as  likely,  if  not  more  so,  to  have 
a  knowledge  of  political  matters,  and  fitness  of  candidates, 
as  unmarried  women.  Candidates  think,  and  others  say, 
that  wives  influence  their  husbamls  greatly  in  the  exercise 
of  the  right  of  suffrage  —  that  to  gain  the  good  opinion  of 
a  wife  is  a  pretty  sure  avenue  to  the  vote  of  the  husband. 
If  they  have  so  much  influence  indirectly,  why  not  let  them 
give  a  direct  and  positive  expression  of  it  by  casting  their 
own  votes  ? 

Some  approve  of  single  women  voting,  but  not  married 
women.  Single  women  generally  have  more  time  at  their 
disposal,  and  consequently  more  for  studying  politics.  If 
women  were  allowed  to  vote,  their  reading  would  be  of  a 
higher  character,  and  more  general ;  their  thinking,  and 
talking,  of  a  more  refined  and  improving  nature.  Some 
age  at  which  women  could  begin  to  vote,  say  eighteen  or 
twenty-one,  it  would  be  necessary  to  specify,  if  they  acquire 
the  privilege,  unless  the  qualification  is  made  educational. 

The  property  of  single  women  is  taxed  the  same  as  if 
they  were  men.  Yet  they  are  not  allowed  a  representation 
in  making  the  laws  of  the  country.  This  principle  was  the 
foundation  of  the  Revolutionary  Avar  of  1776.  Women  that 
are  taxed  and  legislated  for,  certainly  have,  in  the  name  of 
justice,  a  right  to  vote.  Yet  they  cannot  vote,  however  use 
ful  they  are  in  society,  possessing  an  unblemished  character, 
and  even  paying  enormous  taxes.  Lucy  Stone  and  Harriet 
K.  Hunt,  resisted  taxation,  because  denied  the  privilege  of 
the  ballot-box.  They  were  right.  Their  property  was  an 


176  SUFFRAGE   OF   WOMEN. 

inalienable  claim  to  the  privilege ;  their  education,  and  mo 
rality,  a  still  higher  one. 

Wives,  by  their  labor  and  economy,  in  domestic  matters, 
really  earn,  on  an  average,  as  much  as  their  husbands. 
Yet,  we  think,  unless  the  property  of  ma.n  and  wife  were 
distinct,  it  would  not  do  to  relieve  the  property  of  married 
W5men  from  taxation,  for  some  husbands  would  be  mean 
enough  to  put  their  property  in  their  wives'  names,  and  the 
public  coffers  would  after  a  while  become  empty. 

If  women  are  to  be  tried  for  offenses,  why  should  they 
not  assist  in  making  the  laws  to  which  they  are  amenable? 
There  cannot  be  a  just  government  without  the  consent  of 
the  governed.  Why  not  be  permitted  to  sit  in  judgment,  in 
cases  they  can  best  appreciate,  by  similarity  of  thought  and 
feeling?  For,  cannot  a  woman  better  understand  the  trials 
and  temptations  to  which  one  of  her  sex  is  exposed,  than  a 
man  possibly  could?  In  time  past,  in  England,  in  some 
special  cases,  juries  were  even  constituted  entirely  of  women. 

If  women  had  power  in  the  making  and  execution  of  laws, 
and  in  the  selection  of  candidates  for  office,  there  would  be 
less  corruption  than  there  is. 

Said  Lucy  Stone,  "  It  has  been  stated  that  men  are  too 
vile  and  wicked  for  women  to  mingle  with  them  ;  then  cer 
tainly,  if  that  is  true,  they  are  too  vile  and  wicked  to  make 
laws  for  us." 

II.  F.  Lee  says,  "  Gentlemen  have  no  objection  to  ladies 
being  politicians,  if  they  embrace  the  right  side  ;  to  wit,  that 
to  which  they  themselves  belong." 

Wendell  Phillips  says,  "  Social  life  begins  to-day  where 
legal  life  began  long  ago.  A  woman  may  be  hung  ;  there 
fore  she  should  be  permitted  to  vote.  Some  men  say  many 
women  don't  know  enough,  have  not  sense  enough  to  vote. 
A  wTomau  that  has  sense  enough  to  work  has  sense  enough 
to  vote.  In  Great  Britain  the  rich  man  says, 4 1  have  wealth  ; 
so  I  will  see  that  you  are  taken  care  of '  to  the  poor  man  ; 
but  it  proves  a  selfish  protection.  In  America  every  man  is 
permitted  to  take  care  of  himself.  The  ballot-box  is  not 
based  on  brains.  If  women  are  like  men,  they  should  cer- 


SUFFRAGE   OF   WOMEN.  177 

tainly  have  the  same  privileges  ;  if  they  are  not,  men  are 
not  capable  of  representing  them.  To  object  to  women 
going  to  the  polls  because  they  will  see  men,  is  absurd.  Do 
they  not  see  them  in  the  street,  in  stages,  churches,  &c., 
and  at  home?  Men  have  acquired  both  social  and  political 
superiority  over  women,  and  are  likely  to  retain  them,  with 
out  effort  on  the  part  of  woman.  It  is  for  this  reason  they 
have  better  wages,  follow  any  calling  they  wish,  go  where 
and  when  they  please,  without  reproach,  and  have  laws  to 
promote  their  own  interests." 

Dr.  TV.  said  to  me,  "  If  women  find  themselves  fitted  to 
exercise  the  elective  franchise,  let  them  —  no  harm  will  re 
sult.  If  not,  they  will  soon  drop  it."  All  women  would  not 
wish  to  vote  if  they  had  the  privilege.  All  men  do  not  vote. 
They  never  do  unless  they  wish  to.  There  is  no  compul 
sion.  There  is  no  distinction  made  in  the  Bible  between 
the  privileges  of  men  and  women,  except  by  St.  Paul,  who 
made  that  distinction  merely  to  suit  the  people  of  those  times. 
My  opinion  is,  that  the  majority  of  good  and  intelligent 
men,  will  not  willingly  debar  women  of  just  privileges,  if 
they  seek  them.  If  women  knew  their  power  intellectually, 
and  were  united  in  demanding  the  ballot,  it  would  not  be 
withheld  from  them, 

If  women  were  granted  the  privilege  of  voting,  it  would 
be  desirable  to  have  separate  polls,  that  they  might  go,  and 
cast  in  their  votes,  as  quietly  as  they  now  go  to  a  sewing 
circle,  or  to  a  meeting  of  some  charitable  institution. 

u  Daniel  O'Connell,  in  England,  in  1840,  showed  that 
women  exercised  the  right  there  to  vote,  as  holders  of  bank 
stock,  and  as  members  of  the  East  India  Company,  and 
some  other  institutions  of  that  country." 

It  is  well  known  that  over  nine  thousand  votes  were  cast 
for  the  suffrage  of  women,  a  year  ago,  in  Kansas.     In  Mas 
sachusetts,  and  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  the  right  of 
suffrage  is  granted  to  negro  men,  but  not  to  white  women. 
"  The  moment  that  woman  is  intrusted  with  the  power 
to  shape  the  state  by  the  right  of  suffrage,  the  community 
will  see  to  it  that  she  has  the  broadest  opportunities  for  edu- 
12 


178  SUFFRAGE  OF   WOMEN. 

cation.  If  woman  has  a  direct  share  in  the  government, 
that  very  responsibility  will  educate  her." 

One  kind  of  government  is  suited  for  one  people,  and 
another  kind  for  another  people.  A  republic  would  do  bet 
ter  in  the  United  States  if  the  people  were  more  willing  to 
make  sacrifices  for  their  country,  less  grasping  as  individ 
uals,  more  humble,  more  honest,  more  wise,  and  more  God' 
fearing. 

To  sum  up  what  I  have  said:  I  think  laws  should  be 
made  for  the  protection  of  the  persons  and  property  of  wo^ 
men.  I  advocate  the  opening  of  all  occupations  to  them. 
I  insist  on  fair  wages  being  paid  for  their  labor.  Married 
women,  as  well  as  unmarried  ones,  should  be  entitled  to 
their  earnings.  Mothers  should  have  the  custody  of  their 
children,  in  all  cases,  except  when  mentally  incapacitated, 
or  unfitted  by  intemperance,  or  other  immorality.  I  would 
ask  for  women  the  privileges  of  the  ballot-box,  and  trial  by 
their  own  peers.  In  short,  I  wish  to  see  them  possessing 
equal  rights  with  men  —  domestic,  social,  educational,  in 
dustrial,  civil,  and  religious, 


PROGRESS.  179 


PROGRESS. 

WONDERFUL  disorder  prevails  in  social  life,  and 
unquestionable  wrong  in  the  business  world.  New, 
and  better,  systems  of  education,  need  to  be  carried  out, 
correct  principles  more  generally  instilled  in  children,  and 
a  radical  change  wrought  in  the  nature  of  the  great  mass 
of  adults.  Such  processes  are  slow  ;  but  they  may  serve 
to  bring  about  a  better  organization  of  society,  and  business. 
Men  may  remodel  their  laws,  and  institutions,  so  as  to  en 
courage  virtue  and  punish  vice  ;  they  may  even  do  a  great 
deal  to  prevent  vice  ;  but  they  can  never,  of  their  own 
efforts,  again  make  an  Eden  of  earth.  They  may  do  some 
thing  towards  bringing  about  a  millennium ;  but  a  higher 
power  must  assist  and  direct. 

The  time  when  woman  was  defined  to  be  an  animal  that 
loves  finery  has  passed  away,  how  much  soever  the  propen 
sity  may  remain.  Many  women  have  so  cultivated  their 
minds,  and  hearts,  as  to  find  but  little  room  for  thoughts  of 
the  kind,  and  so  the  sex  has  been  redeemed  from  the  keen 
and  cutting,  but  too  general  satire.  Time  was  when  woman 
was  denied  the  possession  of  a  soul  —  consequently  of  a 
place  in  heaven.  Religiously,  woman's  condition  is  im 
proved.  Now  she  is  acknowledged  to  have  a  soul,  and  as 
good  a  right  to  a  place  in  heaven  as  man.  Time  was  when 
woman  was  the  toy  of  man  —  when  she  was  ignorant  as 
the  birds  of  the  air.  But  civilization  has,  to  some  extent, 
banished  the  mental  darkness  through  which  woman  groped. 
Time  was  when  woman  was  a  beast  of  burden  —  when  she 
was  the  "  hewer  of  wpnrl  anr]  Drawer  of  wjitar  "  —  when 
she  was  required  to  labor  in  the  fields.  More  shame  that 
all  this  is  still  true  of  some  Christian  lands.  Woman  is  no 


180  PROGRESS. 

longer  generally  considered  as  she  was  formerly,  and  is 
now  in  Turkey,  an  object  valued  but  for  her  personal  beauty. 
No,  her  mental  and  moral  powers  are  considered.  It  is  not 
requisite  that  she  have  only  a  bright  eye,  a  fair  complexion, 
a  mild  countenance,  but  in  that  eye  must  speak  an  intellect, 
in  that  complexion  a  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  health,  in 
that  countenance  a  good  heart.  Her  condition  mentally  is 
improved.  Woman  is  just  beginning  to  take  her  proper 
place  in  the  world.  Hitherto  her  power  has  been  almost 
entirely  of  a  moral  character,  now  it  is  assuming  more  of 
an  intellectual  tone.  The  next  phase,  we  hope,  will  be  a 
lovely  blending  of  the  two.  Time  was  when  woman  stood 
before  man  merely  as  a  slave  to  minister  to  his  physical 
wants.  Woman's  social  position  is  no  longer  such,  in  en 
lightened  nations.  AS  the  mass  of  mankind  are  better 
educated,  each  individual  will  better  know  his  and  her 
own  place.  Ignorance  will  lose  its  presumption,  conceit  its 
inflation.  The  really  superior  will  govern  by  the  tacit,  or 
expressed  consent  of  the  inferior,  but  they  will  need  to  ex 
ercise  common  sense,  and  wisdom. 

Society  seems  to  be  undergoing  a  change  favorable  to  the 
advancement  of  women,  by  a  few  of  the  sex  entering  higher, 
and  more  respectable,  channels  of  employment.  The  selfish 
ness,  and  prejudices,  of  men,  have,  since  the  creation  of  the 
world,  formed  the  popular  opinion  until  a  century  back. 
Since  that  time,  in  what  are  deemed  enlightened  countries, 
woman  has  exerted  some  little  influence  over  the  better  edu 
cated,  and  more  refined,  and  liberal  class  of  men,  thereby 
modifying  and  tempering,  to  some  extent,  their  selfish  usur 
pation.  As  woman  becomes  more  generally  educated,  soci 
ety  will  advance,  the  spirit  of  the  times  will  be  more  liberal. 
There  will  be  a  corresponding  change  of  views,  new  rules 
of  action,  and  a  more  generous  regard  to  the  variety  of 
occupations,  and  pastimes,  suitable  to  the  sex.  Reflection, 
observation,  intelligence,  and  morality,  will  serve  to  raise 
woman,  as  well  as  man,  in  the  scale  of  being.  Laws  more 
favorable  to  the  welfare  of  woman  will  be  made,  and  others 
will  be  amended.  New  phases  of  society  will  call  for  dif 
ferent  influences. 


PROGRESS.  181 

The  present  age  is  one  of  reformation,  and  benevolent 
plans.  Temperance  societies,  mechanical  unions,  lectures 
before  the  working  men,  are  of  the  first  character.  Homes 
for  the  destitute  and  desolate,  and  organizations  for  furnish 
ing  such  as  are  able,  with  employment,  are  of  the  second 
kind. 

Women  have  more  persistency  in  carrying  out  a  benevo 
lent  undertaking  than  men.  In  carrying  out  any  special 
benevolence,  an  individual,  or  association,  should  consider, 
that  few  people  (even  of  those  whose  sympathies  they  en 
list,)  will  be  likely  to  give  the  time  and  efforts  to  fully  com 
prehend,  and  appreciate,  said  work  of  benevolence  —  con 
sequently  they  will  give  sparingly  of  their  means,  thoughts, 
prayers,  and  influence.  When  disheartened,  the  benevolent 
enterprisers  will  need  to  summon  their  courage,  and  fight 
against  any  feelings  of  contempt  for  others,  and  still  labor 
on  carefully,  judiciously.  They  must  choke  down  murmur- 
ings,  and  overcome  vexations,  and  when  opposed  by  selfish 
ness,  and  falsehood,  and  treachery,  speak  out  boldly  and 
fearlessly.  When  there  is  a  possibility  of  their  efforts  suc 
ceeding,  they  should  work  on  more  diligently  than  ever, 
and  repine  not  if  it  may  not  be  accomplished  in  their  life 
time.  Truths  should  be  uttered  with  simplicity,  and  earnest 
ness,  and  those  who  speak  them  should  be  fearless  of  ridi 
cule,  and  able  to  live  without  sympathy,  and  encouragement, 
to  secure  even  a  partial  reform. 

The  rules  that  govern  society  to-day,  would  not  have  an 
swered  fifty  years  ago,  nor  would  the  rules  that  govern 
to-day  be  likely  to  answer  fifty  years  hence.  If  the  diffu 
sion  of  knowledge,  and  the  education  of  the  masses,  in  this 
country,  during  the  next  fifty  years  are  proportioned  to  the 
advances  of  the  last  fifty  years,  we  not  only  predict  a  great 
elevation  in  the  scale  of  intelligence,  and  a  higher  moral 
tone  in  society,  but  that  such  benefit  will  particularly  accrue 
to  the  female  sex.  Woman's  influence,  soft  as  the  balmy 
dew,  will  then  be  bracing  as  the  mountain  air.  Her  praise 
then  will  not  be  merely  the  elegance  of  her  attire,  as  a  bird 
is  admired  for  the  richness  of  its  plumage.  Symmetry  of 


182  PROGRESS. 

form,  and  regularity  of  features,  may  receive  their  due 
meed  of  praise,  but  the  mind  that  gives  them  expression 
will  better  charm.  She  may  be  admired  as  the  gazelle  for 
her  beautiful  eyes,  but  the  soul  that  speaks  through  them 
will  be  better  appreciated.  Her  motions  may  be  very 
graceful :  but  the  loving  heart,  chastened  by  high-toned 
principle,  will  refine  them  inconceivably.  The  time  will 
come  when  fashion  will  not  rule  with  an  iron  sway,  when 
each  person  will  consult  his  or  her  taste,  and  judgment,  in 
the  selection,  and  making  up,  of  raiment,  and  in  furnishing 
dwellings. 

A  change  in  public  opinion  is  slow  in  regard  to  the  con 
dition  of  women,  and  their  improvement.  Women  must  be 
patient,  therefore,  but  not  the  less  active  in  bringing  the 
change  about  in  a  quiet  way.  Nor  must  they  be  discour 
aged.  There  is  more  or  less,  interruption,  to  every  ex 
tended  human  effort.  Slowly  is  the  hour  of  woman's  re 
demption  approaching.  When  that  has  arrived  she  may 
throw  off  the  shackles  that  have  so  long  fettered  her.  She 
may  indulge  in  more  varied  and  original  ideas.  She  may 
express  her  thoughts  freely,  and  feel  that  she  is  entitled  to 
a  hearing  as  well  as  her  brother  —  man.  This  gives  rise  to 
hope  in  the  heart  of  woman.  She  is  ever  looking  forward 
to  some  time  in  the  future  —  some  good  to  get  or  do  —  some 
enjoyment  for  herself  or  others  —  some  hope  to  be  realized 
—  some  wish  to  be  gratified. 

So  long  as  people  possess  different  minds,  and  bodies,  so 
long  must  there  be  a  difference  in  their  condition.  Without 
some  incentive  to  activity,  there  would  be  a  complete  stag 
nation  of  business  and  society.  Doubt  leads  to  inquiry, 
and  inquiry  to  truth.  Every  reform  must  be  gradually  ac 
complished  —  step  at  a  time.  How  few  of  us  realize  that 
every  event  in  life  has  its  effect  on  the  mind,  and  heart ! 
Comparative  freedom  from  care  and  anxiety  is  essential  to 
success  in  business  matters.  In  the  past  man  wrote  with  a 
diamond  pen  on  the  imperishable  rocks  of  time  ;  but  the 
tracings  of  woman's  pencil  were  faint  and  imperfect.  Yet 
in  Christian  nations  she  is  now  making  her  impress  for 


PROGRESS.  183 

eternity.  On  the  tablets  of  the  soul  she  is  writing  ch'arac- 
ters  never  to  be  effaced.  The  young  and  susceptible  are 
molded  by  her  example  and  precepts. 

The  results  of  woman's  literary  labor,  and  mechanical 
ingenuity,  can  scarcely  be  said  to  furnish  a  correct  estimate 
of  her  abilities.  For,  until  within  the  last  fifty  years,  the 
efforts  of  the  first  kind  were  not  encouraged,  but  rather 
scorned  and  ridiculed,  and  for  less  time  than  that,  the  exer 
cise  of  mechanical  talent  has  been  considered  as  entirely 
without  her  province.  It  is  not  so  with  men,  who  for  cen 
turies  have  been  encouraged,  stimulated,  and  rewarded,  with 
honors  and  pecuniary  profits. 

One  great  trouble  is,  women  are  too  dainty  about  their 
work.  A  man  of  good  sense  will  go  at  anything ;  but  a 
woman  objects  to  this,  that,  and  the  other.  A  man  will  go 
anywhere  ;  a  woman  will  object  that  she  cannot  go  among 
strangers,  she  may  be  deprived  of  her  own  church  service, 
she  would  not  like  the  society,  or  something  else  of  the 
kind.  When  women  are  not  extremely  difficult  to  please, 
they  should  be  encouraged,  and  sustained  in  their  labor. 

The  last,  and  greatest  change,  we  ask  for  woman,  is  that 
her  political  condition  be  improved.     Give  her  to  feel  the 
freedom  of  an  American  citizen.     Her  property  is  taxed. 
Give  her  the  privilege  of  assisting  to  select  those  that  will 
protect  her  person,  and  property,  and  rights,  and  privileges. 
It  is  her  inalienable  right.     She  is  amenable  to  the  laws 
of  her  country.     Let  her  assist  in  selecting   such   as   she 
thinks  proper  to  make  those  laws,  or  even  assist  in  forming 
them  herself.     Release  woman  from  political  bondage.     As 
our  laws  exist,  she  is  deprived  of  political  power.     If  wo 
man  is  as  much  entitled  to  the  privileges  of  heaven  as  man, 
why  should  she  not  be   to   the   privileges  of  earth  ?     Your 
human  laws  are  professedly  founded  on  divine  laws.     Then 
carry  the  principle  out.     Do  you  think  if  there  is  ever  any 
voting  done  in  heaven,  women  will  be  pushed  to  one  side, 
and  excluded  from  the  privilege  ?     But  perhaps  you  will  say, 
sex  will  not  be  known,  or  recognized  in  heaven.     Well,  is 
it  not  the  spirit  that  makes  us  what  we   are  —  immortal 
beings?     Does  spirit  recognize  sex   here?     Certainly  not. 


184  PROGRESS. 

Then  allow  the  spirit  of  woman  the  same  privilege  as  that 
of  man.  Let  her  consult  her  abilities,  and  inclinations,  in 
the  selection  of  an  employment.  Let  her  quietly  drop  her 
vote  at  the  polls  set  aside  for  women  exclusively.  Be  as 
sured  if  you  pursue  this  course,  our  country  will  be  more 
prosperous,  and  longer  continue  so.  Improvements  are  going 
on  ;  but  it  is  by  the  unflinching  perseverance  of  clear-headed 
men,  and  energetic  women. 

Men  can  do  much  towards  bringing  about  a  favorable  re 
sult  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  woman's  good,  but  women 
can  do  more.  It  must  be  done  by  a  change  in  public  opin 
ion,  by  bringing  about  a  right  appreciation  of  the  state  of 
affairs  —  by  exciting  thought  and  inquiry  on  the  subject. 
It  cannot  and  should  not  be  attempted  by  other  than  mental, 
and  moral  force.  Moral  influence,  and  the  result  of  good 
sense,  and  correct  principles,  will  prove  the  great  lever  by 
which  the  mass  of  the  male  mind  is  to  be  turned.  In 
woman's  influence  consists  her  power. 

When  women  are  more  sought  as  the  cooperators  of  men 
in  philanthropic  works,  more  efficient  means  will  be  taken 
to  prevent  evil.  Their  foresight,  and  keener  perceptive 
powers,  will  come  into  play.  Their  sympathetic  nature  will 
be  called  as  fully  into  exercise ;  but  its  operations  will  be 
more  judicious.  Women  will  thus  prevent  an  immense 
amount  of  suffering,  wretchedness,  and  woe,  that  they  are 
now  merely  expected  to  palliate,  and  relieve.  When  women 
have  a  voice  in  the  administration  of  affairs,  they  will  see 
that  women,  who  alone  can  understand,  and  appreciate  the 
trials,  and  temptations  of  their  own  sex,  are  the  arbiters, 
to  some  extent,  of  those  who  are  charged  with  offenses, 
social,  or  civil.  They  will  see  that  justice,  in  some  degree, 
is  done  to  their  own  sex,  and  that  mercy  tempers  justice. 
When  women  assist  in  making  laws  they  will  not  have  one 
code  of  morals  for  men,  and  another  for  women,  but  all  will 
be  alike  amenable  to  the  same  laws,  A  stricter  morality 
•will  be  required  ;  law  will  be  divested  of  its  technicalities, 
and  circumlocutions  ;  many  laws  now  in  existence  will  be 
annulled,  and  many  new  ones  made,  while  some  will  be 
modified  to  suit  the  times,  and  circumstances. 


OPPOSITION. 


185 


OPPOSITION. 

OME  men  will  not  work  for  those  thai  employ  women. 
rJ  Most  men  are  too  selfish,  too  sensitive  to  anything  that 
concerns  their  pecuniary  interest,  to  make  any  sacrifice  for  the 
advancement  of  women.  They  are  not  willing  to  assist 
them,  if  it  will  cost  them  a  dollar.  Some  employers  will  not 
even  take  women  to  work  for  them,  lest  they  be  subjected 
to  ridicule,  or  accused  of  doing  it  that  they  may  have  their 
work  done  for  less  pay,  or  be  disliked  by  the  employers,  and 
workmen,  of  other  establishments,  who  will  say  they  are 
driving  men  out  of  employment  by  substituting  women. 
Until  °the  novelty  wears  off,  of  the  introduction  of  women 
into  new  occupations,  there  will  be  opposition,  envy,  and 
jealousy,  among  some  of  the  men  in  those  pursuits.  There 
are  some  men  that  sneer  at  all  women  undertake.  Let  such 
sneer  on.  It  will  do  them  no  good,  and  women  no  harm. 
So  there  is  no  cause  for  discouragement. 

The  prejudice  that  has  so  long  existed,  in  regard  to  women 
entering  any  other  field  of  labor,  than  that  of  a  housewife, 
is  wearing  away.  Women  that  attempt  to  open  new  fields 
of  labor  for  their  sex  — to  elevate  their  condition  — in  short 
to  benefit  them  —  must  not  be  surprised  to  find  a  strong  op 
posing  force  in  their  own  sex.  Some  are  blinded  to  their 
own  interests,  and  some  misjudge  the  motives  of  those  who 
would  do  them  good.  The  credulity  of  ignorant  people, 
their  inability  to  read  motives,  and  be  reasoned  with,  are 
sad  detriments  to  their  intellectual  advancement.  The  pre 
judiced,  the  uneducated,  the  unthinking  mass,  will  form  a 
barrier  to  daunt  any  destitute  of  a  brave  heart. 

One  of  the  greatest  sources  of  trouble  of  the  present  time, 
in  our  country,  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  peo- 


186  OPPOSITION. 

pie  think  they  have  fulfilled  their  duty  to  others,  if  they  have 
treated  them  kindly  and  politely,  without  any  regard  to  the 
more  important  qualities  of  truth,  honesty,  and  justice. 

The  envy  of  men  keeps  women  out  of  many  occupations 
that  are  decidedly  feminine  in  their  character.  We  find 
greater  opposition  to  the  entrance  of  women  into  the  lighter, 
and  more  artistic  industrial  branches,  made  by  men  so  em 
ployed,  than  we  do  from  men  in  vocations  of  a  more  ordi 
nary  kind.  Probably  because  there  is  more  physical  ease, 
and  a  more  handsome  profit  attending  the  first.  "  The 
jealousy  which  keeps  women  from  the  employment  of  engrav 
ing  the  brass  work  of  a  watch,  and  from  pasting  patterns  of 
floss  silk  upon  cards  for  trade  purposes,  long  kept  the  doors 
of  the  School  of  Design  in  London  closed  against  female 
pupils,  and  renders  it  almost  impossible  for  an  English  wo 
man  to  qualify  herself  for  treating  the  diseases  of  women 
and  children.  The  same  jealousy  cost  many  lives  in  the  Cri 
mean  war,  by  delaying  the  reception  of  the  nurses  into  the 
hospitals  in  the  East,  and  by  restricting  their  action  when 
there.  In  the  Staffordshire  potteries  women  are  largely  em 
ployed  in  painting  porcelain  —  an  art  which  they  are  better 
qualified  to  practice  than  men.  It  will  hardly  be  credited, 
but  we  can  vouch  for  the  fact,  that  such  is  the  jealousy  of 
the  men,  that  they  compel  the  women  to  paint  without  a 
rest  for  the  hand,  and  the  masters  are  obliged  by  their  own 
workmen  to  sanction  this  absurd  act  of  injustice."  Could  not 
her  Majesty,  Queen  Victoria,  bring  about  a  better  state  of 
affairs,  if  she  were  so  disposed,  by  having  the  police  arrest, 
and  imprison  men,  who  would  offend,  and  harm  women,  be 
cause  engaged  in  such  work?  and  might  she  not  uphold 
masters  in  their  efforts  to  do  justice  to  woman's  work  ?  Such 
arbitrary  .opposition  should  certainly  be  checked.  It  is  un 
fortunate  for  women  when  their  work  competes  with  that  of 
young  people,  particularly  boys. 

The  objection  urged  by  some  merchants,  to  the  employ 
ment  of  women  in  their  stores,  is  that  they  would  have  to 
change  frequently.  IIovv  often  does  Stewart  change  on  an 
average  his  salesmen  ?  No  doubt  "as  often  as  Sharpless,  and 


OPPOSITION.  187 

Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  do  their  saleswomen,  except  where 
the  loss  arises  from  the  marriage  of  saleswomen. 

Some  one  writes  me,  he  is  a  women's  wrongs  man.  If 
women  had  their  rights  they  would  not  have  wrongs  to  be 
corrected.  I  believe  "  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  better  than 
a  pound  of  cure." 

"  Generally  speaking,  woman  is  denied  her  humanity  and 
her  equality  ;  yet  she  is  none  the  less  exposed  to  all  the  bur 
dens  of  existence.  But  let  her  receive  a  vigorous  physical 
education  to  develop  her  body  —  let  her  have  a  latitude  of 
public  opinion  sufficient  to  expand  her  soul  in  the  presence 
of  great  thoughts  —  do  as  you  would  be  done  by,  and  give 
to  woman  all  the  rights,  liberties,  advantages,  emoluments 
which  her  organizational  needs  suggest,  and  quite  certain 
am  I,  that  the  lords  of  creation  would  no  longer  question 
the  adaptedness  of  the  female  nature  to  the  various  intellect 
ual  professions,  which  a  despotic  custom,  and  masculine  self 
ishness,  have  for  centuries  assigned  to  the  supposed  stronger 
body,  and  better  prepared  brain." 

"  Persecution  for  opinion,  punishment  for  all  manifesta 
tions  of  intellectual,  and  moral  strength,  are  still  as  common 
as  women  who  have  opinions,  and  who  manifest  strength  ; 
but  some  things  are  easy,  and  many  are  possible  of  achieve 
ment,  to  women  of  ordinary  powers,  which  it  would  have 
required  genius  to  accomplish  a  few  years  ago." 

Dr.  Walker,  the  author  of  a  work  on  woman,  denies  to  her 
the  ability  to  generalize  ideas  —  considers  her  incapable  of 
abstract  and  connected  thought.  Walker  says,  "It  is  well 
known,  that,  when  women  are  capable  of  some  degree  of 
mental  exertion,  this,  by  directing  the  blood  towards  the 
brain,  makes  it  a  centre  of  activity  at  the  expense  of  the 
vital  organs,  which  are  much  more  important  to  them."  It 
depends  on  circumstances  whether  they  are  more  important. 
If  they  remain  single,  and  do  not  desire  a  long  life,  they 
might  as  well  enjoy  it  by  intellectual  exercise.  Walker  goes 
on  to  say,  "  If  the  vital  organs  suffer  from  the  activity  of 
the  brain,  their  chief  value  as  women  is  destroyed,  and  it  is 
certain  that  great  fecundity  of  the  brain  in  women  usually 


188  OPPOSITION. 

accompanies  sterility,  or  disorder  of  the  matrix."  What  of 
that  unless  a  woman  is  married,  and  wishes  to  have  children. 
From  my  limited  knoM'ledge,  diseases  of  the  womb  are  as 
common  among  ignorant,  as  among  learned  women. 

If  Walker's  ideas  are  correct,  women  would  be  incapable 
of  using,  and  appreciating,  knowledge,  even  if  it  were  dilu 
ted,  and  presented  in  the  most  simple  form.  We  infer  from 
what  Walker  says  that  he  thinks  all  intellectual  exertion  is 
to  provide  for  the  animal  wants,  and  nothing  more.  "The 
natural  sensibility,  feebleness  and  timidity  of  woman  lead 
her  instinctively,  and  with  little  aid  from  reasoning,  to 
observe  the  circumstances  which  prompt  mankind  to  act." 
So,  Dr.  Walker,  you  would  say  that  instinct  gives  to  woman 
a  little  penetration. 

"  Women,"  says  Walker,  "  are  peculiarly  sensitive  to  ridi 
cule."  We  reply,  not  more  so  than  men. 

He  remarks,  "  They  attach  grea't  importance  to  little 
faults."  Can  anything  else  be  expected,  if  their  intellects 
are  made  barren  deserts,  such  as  you  would  have  them? 
"  It  is  the  instinctive  faculties  of  women,"  he  continues,  "as 
well  as  the  other  qualities  already  described,  that  fit  them, 
better  than  men,  for  passing  from  the  lowest  to  the  highest 
ranks."  Hanks  of  what?  of  society  do  you  meau?  certainly 
not  of  intellect,  as  that  in  your  opinion  is  impossible. 

We  would  infer  from  some  portions  of  Walker's  book, 
that  he  had  been  jilted  by  some  learned  woman,  and  so  ac 
quired  the  distaste  for  such  that  he  now  vents  his  hatred 
and  envy  on  them.  Walker's  ideas  of  women  are  about  on 
a  par  with  Michelet's.  He  makes  woman  out  a  noneuity 
intellectually  —  a  lump  of  animal  pulsation  physically,  and 
a  weak  and  sickly  being  morally.  He  seems  to  think 
woman  merely  a  creature  of  emotions,  incapable  of  any 
thing  deep  and  strong. 

Most  men  would  have  women  without  a  will  or  spirit, 
with  no  aspirations  above  being  a  good  housekeeper,  and 
seamstress.  They  will  not  recognize  in  her  a  yearning  for 
something  higher,  and  better,  that  she  has  a  soul  needing 
nourishment,  a  mind  whose  fire  requires  to  be  replenished 


OPPOSITION.  189 

and  kept  burning.  "When  conscious  that  the  soul  life,  the 
heart  life  is  being  crushed,  the  divinity  of  mind  materialized, 
by  sad  circumstances  over  which  we  have  no  control,  of  what 
avail  are  wealth  and  luxury?  They  are  too  external  to 
reach  the  yearning  abyss  within.  If  Nature  smiles  it  mocks 
the  misery  it  cannot  heal,  if  it  frowns  it  only  reflects  the 
gloom  within. 

Custom  and  prejudice  are  the  barriers  to  most  works  for 
the  amelioration  of  the  race,  especially  for  the  feminine 
part  of  it. 

"  In  the  eighteenth  century,  a  learned  and  elaborate  trea 
tise  was  written,  to  prove  that  women  were  not  of  the  same 
species  with  men,  and  that  they  had  no  souls,  and  a  solemn 
council  was  ho.ld  ftt  ,jfa9,op-  composed  of  bishops,  &c., 
wherein' tne  question  was  gravely  put,  whether  women  were 
human  creatures." 

Most  men  that  are  not  highly  educated,  fear,  and  some 
even  hate,  a  learned  woman,  and  many  men  that  are  highly 
educated  dread  the  power,  and  influence,  and  competition,  of 
a  learned  woman,  but  it  is  not  so  with  all.  If  the  earth 
were  rid  of  all  knaves,  and  fools,  there  might  be  a  long  and 
unceasing  jubilee  among  the  few  people  left.  Yet  to  make 
a  line  of  demarcation  between  those  who  are,  and  those  who 
are  not,  would  bepuzzling,  as  almost  everybody  is  considered 
either  a  knave,  or  a  fool,  by  somebody  else. 

The  remark  was  once  made  to  me,  "  Women  will  not 
help  themselves,  and  you  only  make  enemies  by  trying  to 
help  them."  We  have  not  found  this  the  case  with  all. 
We  should  be  sorry  if  all  women  were  so  ungrateful  and 
perverse. 

The  circumstances  that  oppose  women's  advancement,  are 
as  much  of  an  indirect,  as  of  a -direct  character. 

M.  Comte  has  proposed  that  all  women  be  withdrawn 
from  industrial  (other  than  domestic)  pursuits,  but  with 
the  condition  that  all  those  who  have  neither  husband,  nor 
parents,  to  provide  for  them,  be  supported  by  the  state. 
Surely  it  is  but  just,  unless  women  are  permitted  to  enter  all 
industrial  pursuits,  and  earn  a  livelihood  for  themselves. 


190  PROGRESS  RETARDED  BY  WOMEN, 


PROGRESS   RETARDED   BY  WOMEN. 

MANY  women  are  so  blind  to  the  interests  of  their 
own  sex  that  they  retard,  rather  than  assist,  in  any 
movement,  having  for  its  aim  the  opening  of  employments. 
They  think,  as  too  many  men  do,  the  sphere  of  every  woman 
is  at  home.  They  forget  that  poverty,  loss  of  relatives,  and 
other  circumstances,  deprive  many  women  of  the  comforts, 
and  freedom,  of  a  home.  The  fact  that  they  are  provided 
for,  and  taken  care  of,  should  make  them  desirous  to  see 
those  differently  situated,  placed  in  the  way  of  being  helped, 
or  helping  themselves.  Some  women  of  wealth,  treat  those 
who  earn  a  livelihood  by  their  exertions,  as  if  they  were 
doing  something  improper  ;  as  if  they  were  transgressing 
the  limit  of  *'  woman's  sphere."  What  a  shame  that 
it  should  be  so !  How  unreasonable !  how  absurd !  how 
sinful ! 

Some  women,  from  want  of  judgment,  defeat  plans  in 
tended  for  their  own  good.  The  great  difficulty  in  bring- 
in^  about  reforms,  among  the  working  women  of  the  United 
States,  arises  from  their  false  pride.  Most  of  them  are 
ashamed  of  their  occupation.  We  have  heard  of  girls  in 
some  of  the  cities,  learning  trades,  that  carry  books  with 
them,  to  give  the  impression  that  they  are  attending  school. 
They  do  not  consider  that  every  person  in  the  nation,  from 
the  President -to  a  boot-black,  works  for  money.  More 
false  pjride-  TS;"pfobably  cherished  in  the  United  States  than 

"any  other  country.  It  is  founded  on  a  desire  to  be  thought 
what  we  are  not,  and  the  silly  belief,  with  many,  that  not 
to  work  makes  a  lady.  Consequently,  it  leads  them  to  an 
improper  estimate  of  the  standing  of  their  occupation.  Its 


PROGRESS  RETARDED  BY  WOMEN.  191 

issue  is  a  false  pride,  dangerous  in  its  tendencies,  and  some 
times  fatal  in  its  results. 

Until  much  of  that  heartless  selfishness  ceases  to  exist, 
that  now  characterizes  most  women  of  means,  who  scorn 
labor,  so  long  must  freezing,  starving,  desolate,  homeless 
women  continue  to  perish.  The  loneliness  of  women  in 
the  middle  ranks,  who  support  themselves,  is  owing  to  the 
selfishness,  or  want  of  kindness  and  sympathy,  of  people  in 
their  own,  and  those  in  a  higher  rank.  Nor  are  those  living 
without  labor  any  better  off,  for,  to  the  majority,  their  aim 
less,  useless  lives,  are  a  burden. 

Some  women  have  been  so  shocked  by  the  sentiments,  and 
movements,  of  ultra  reformers,  that  they  close  their  ears  to 
any  information  on  the  subject.  They  prefer  remaining  in 
utter  ignorance.  Of  course  we  make  exception  of  the  intel 
ligent,  educated,  and  liberal,  that  are  willing  to  investigate 
any  matter  before  they  condemn  it. 

The  working  class  of  women  could  accomplish  far  more 
if  they  would  unite  in  efforts  to  have  their  wages  advanced. 
What  union  can  do  was  accomplished  a  few  years  since  in 
the  shoe  strike  of  Massachusetts.  But  generally  women 
have  not  sufficient  intelligence  to  combine  and  demand  high 
er  wages.  They  have  none  to  point  out  to  them  how  they 
may  better  their  condition,  and  take  the  matter  in  hand,  and 
lead  them.  Many  are  timid  and  fear  losing  their  places  as 
workers  by  taking  such  a  stand.  Add  to  this,  that  very 
few  women  are  practical,  because  they  have  never  had  the 
opportunity,  occasion,  or  ability,  to  cultivate  their  business 
talents. 

Women  are  often  accused  of  being  less  generous  than 
men.  We  think,  in  most  cases,  it  is  because  they  have 
less  to  be  generous  with.  Other  people  cannot  always 
study  us  better  than  we  can  study  ourselves.  Yet  it  is  a 
lamentable  fact,  that  selfishness  and  ingratitude  mar  the 
character  of  many  women  in  the  learned  professions,  as 
authors,  physicians,  and  teachers.  It  pains  us  to  see  a  selfish, 
grasping  spirit  manifested  by  women  in  the  lower  grades  of 


192  PROGRESS  RETARDED  BY  WOMEN. 

labor,  but  far  more  to  see  it  manifested  by  women  deriv 
ing  a  handsome  income  from  their  professional  services. 

Many  men  and  women  are  the  slaves  of  custom  and  pre 
judice  ;  many  have  no  ideas  beyond  those  so  acquired,  and 
the  most  of  those  that  have,  are  without  the  moral  courage 
to  express  and  uphold  them.  It  is  surprising  with  what 
credulity  people  receive  statements  that  chime  in  with  their 
prejudices. 

The  opposition  of  women  to  each  other  arises  in  many 
cases  from  rivalry,  a  want  of  principle,  jealousy,  or  euvy. 
"  Woman's  inhumanity  to  woman  makes  countless  thou 
sands  mourn."  The  majority  of  women  talk  much  —  do 
little.  Some  women  are  jealous  of  other  women  that  would 
enter  the  literary  field,  and  therefore  would  not  hesitate  to 
force  them  from  the  field.  They  would  sneer  at  their  efforts, 
and  cast  contempt  on  their  achievements.  They  have  no 
real  interest  in  the  welfare  of  their  sex. 

From  the  moment  a  thought  is  expressed  it  becomes  a 
something  tangible  —  it  takes  form.  We  may  in  our  minds 
picture  a  beautiful  scene,  but  when  we  place  it  on  canvas 
it  at  once  becomes  visible  to  the  eyes  of  others  —  so  with 
thought. 

All  women  have  not  alike  the  tact  to  secure  favorable 
opportunities  that  open  in  business.  It  looks  badly  to  see 
a  woman  discouraging  employers  from  engaging  the  services 
of  women,  in  preference  to  men,  when  she  must  have  some 
knowledge  of  the  great  necessity  that  exists  for  openings  by 
which  women  can  earn  a  support.  It  looks  badly  for  any 
one  of  the  number,  who  has  made  a  fortune  off  of  work 
women,  to  make  severe  strictures  through  the  press  on  their 
ability,  and  to  write  disparagingly  of  them  as  a  class.  It 
shows  a  want  of  sensibility,  and  sympathy,  for  the  hun 
dreds,  yes,  thousands,  of  women,  quite  the  equal,  if  not  the 
superior  of  herself,  striving  to  earn  an  honest  livelihood. 
Such  an  influence  is  discouraging  to  workwomen,  and  such 
statements  greedily  received  by  selfish  men  and  heartless 
women. 


INJUSTICE   OF   WOMEN.  193 


INJUSTICE   OF  WOMEN   PARTLY   ACCOUNTED 
FOR. 

"  A  RIGHT  over  my  subsistence  is  a  power  over  all  my 
/•\  thoughts  and  actions."  When  woman  is  taught  to 
know  what  is  due  her,  she  will  resist  oppression  ;  and  when 
she  is  taught  not  to  exact  more  of  others  than  she,  under  the 
same  circumstances,  would  be  willing  to  grant,  then  will 
she  be  more  likely  to  render  entire  justice  to  others.  The 
injustice  of  women  in  business  transactions  with  each  other 
has  been  a  hobby  with  some  snarling,  surly  men,  who,  by 
the  way,  are  always  on  the  lookout  themselves  to  take  ad 
vantage  of  their  fellow-men.  And  if  women  are  unjust,  it 
is  usually  the  fault  of  the  very  men  that  sneer  at  the  result 
of  what  they  themselves  occasion.  It  is  well  known  that, 
generally,  those  people  are  most  oppressive  who  have  beeu 
most  oppressed. 

The  spirit  that  prompts  a  married  woman  to  beat  down 
the  prices,  and  contend  lor  a  bargain,  in  making  a  purchase, 
arises  mostly  from  the  consciousness  that  her  husband,  in 
whose  hands  the  purse  is  very  likely  to  be,  will  expect  the 
ultimatum  of  the  money's  worth.  And  most  men  are  igno 
rant  of  the  vast  number  of  purchases  that  must  be  made  by 
a  housekeeper,  and  the  prices  that  must  be  paid.  In  some 
cases  money  is  doled  out  to  a  wife  with  a  hard,  mean  parsi 
mony.  Perhaps  the  husband  calls  the  same  day,  at  the 
same  counter  where  his  wife  has  cautiously  expended  her 
meager  sum,  and  purchases  some  article  of  dress  for  him 
self.  He  would  not,  for  the  world,  haggle  about  the  price. 
It  might  give  the  impression  that  he  is  miserly.  What  a 
man  gets  easily  he  spends  freely ;  what  a  woman  earns 
dearly  she  parts  with  sparingly.  Besides,  a  man  is  less 
13 


194  INJUSTICE   OF   WOMEN. 

willing  to  be  troubled  by  small  matters,  and  has  less  time 
for  them ;  that  accounts,  to  some  extent,  for  men  paying 
better  prices  for  what  they  buy.  "  The  husband  who  de 
serts  his  home,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  is  pitied.  The  wife 
who  abandons  her's  is  universally  condemned  ;  and  by  none 
more  severely  than  by  her  own  sex,  who  have  done  most  to 
rivet  the  chain  which  binds  them,  by  the  want  of  charity 
they  show  to  their  unhappy  sisters."  The  question  arises, 
Can  a  conscientious  woman  prove  recreant  to  the  interest 
and  happiness  of  her  own  sex? 

If  a  woman's  purse  is  her  own,  and  she  has  earned  what 
she  spends,  she  well  knows  that  for  the  same  amount  of 
work,  as  well  done  as  by  a  man,  she  has  received  a  less 
remuneration.  This  may  prompt  her  to  drive  close  bar 
gains.  But  a  single  woman  that  has  always  had,  and  still 
has,  a  free,  full  purse  of  her  own,  and  has  not  herself  been 
subjected  to  oppression,  or  witnessed  it  in  those  about  her, 
will,  we  think,  very  rarely  be  seen  beating  down  the  prices 
of  her  dress-maker,  milliner,  and  laundress.  No,  we  cannot, 
and  will  not,  believe  such  a  spirit  of  meanness  exists  in  many 
of  our  sex.  Circumstances  have  created  it,  where  it  does 
exist.  "  Women  who  have  their  own  peculiar  world,  and 
so  many  secrets  in  common,  ought  certainly  to  love  each 
other  a  little,  and  sustain  each  other,  instead  of  warring 
among  themselves.  They  inflict  mutual  injury,  in  a  thou 
sand  cases,  indirectly." 

The  exercise  of  certain  faculties  is  involved  in  different 
vocations.  These  faculties  must  be  cultivated,  to  attain  to 
excellence.  If  a  woman  possesses  certain  faculties  in  a  high 
degree,  she  should  fit  herself  for  that  vocation  in  which  her 
talents  will  be  best  employed.  Women  should  preserve 
their  identity  intellectually  as  well  as  men. 

A  jealousy  and  rivalry  in  business  do  exist,  to  some  ex 
tent,  among  women.  Some  female  writers  are  more  jealous 
of  others  of  their  own  sex  gaining  a  foothold  in  the  literary 
\vorld  than  men  are.  Perhaps  men  think  they  have  less  to 
fear  from  competition  with  women. 

One  reason  women  have  less  patience  with  each  other 


INJUSTICE   OF    WOMEN.  195 

than  with  men  is,  that  they  are  more  thrown  together  in 
the  house,  and  see  each  other's  faults,  while  the  desire  of 
most  women  for  the  admiration  of  men  makes  them  conceal 
every  fault. 

The  supremacy  of  physical  power,  in  past  ages,  may  have 
created,  in  some  women,  a  sense  of  inferiority,  of  depen 
dence  on  men,  that  led  them  to  be  unjust  to  women. 

The  great  foundation  of  woman's  injustice  is,  that  she  is 
destitute  of  the  moral  courage  that  enables  her  to  do  right, 
fearless  of  consequences  ;  that  she  is  the  victim  of  public 
opinion  —  the  opinion  of  men  whose  selfishness  has  ever 
sought  the  best  for  themselves,  and  established  the  impres 
sion  that  it  was  merely  their  due.  These  women  have 
not  the  moral  courage  to  declare  themselves  advocates  of 
woman's  social,  civil,  and  political  rights.  They  fear  the 
disapproval  of  men,  and  the  want  of  support  from  their  own 
sex.  They  are  unwilling  to  risk  popularity.  Some  are 
destitute  of  a  sense  of  justice,  and  act  upon  the  principle 
that  might  makes  right.  Others  are  favorably  situated 
themselves,  and  do  not  wish  to  do  anything  they  find  un 
pleasant,  in  order  to  benefit  others.  They  are  not  willing 
to  sacrifice  the  ease,  and  quiet,  and  peace  that  might  be 
involved. 

If  it  be  true  that  women  are  to  a  greater  extent  false  to 
the  interests  of  their  sex  than  men,  one  cause  of  it  is  the 
great  competition  in  the  labor  market  for  women  ;  —  that 
causes  women  to  undersell  each  other.  An  intelligent 
shoe-binder  told  me  she  knew  of  many  a  woman  that  would 
be  working  for  a  store,  but  another  woman  would  come  in 
and  say,  u  I  will  do  the  same  work  for  fifty  cents  less." 
So  the  work  is  given  to  her.  And  another  will  come  in 
and  say,  "  I  will  do  the  work  for  still  less ; "  and  so  it  is 
given  to  her.  But  when  we  consider  that  many  of  these 
women  must  do  their  work  at  starvation  prices,  or  lie  down 
and  die,  or  sell  their  virtue,  where,  we  ask,  does  the  fault 
lie  ?  Not  at  their  door.  One  might  suggest  trades'  unions, 
and  established  wages  for  work  ;  but  that,  it  is  said,  can 
never  be  done  in  New  York,  because  of  the  starving 


196  INJUSTICE   OF    WOMEN. 

foreigners  that  come  in,  and  are  willing  to  work  at  half 
price.     Yet  this  objection  is  not  thoroughly  grounded. 

Many  poor  male  foreigners  enter  our  ports,  to  come  in 
competition  with  American  men  ;  but  they  are  acquainted 
with  a  greater  variety  of  employments,  and  consequently 
more  fields  are  open  for  their  work.  Every  occupation  in 
this  country  that  has  elicited  female  industry  has  been  filled 
to  excess.  The  crowded  condition  of  those  now  open  for 
female  labor  will  drive  women  into  others.  The  cry  cannot 
be  in  vain.  It  must  be  heard.  When  that  is  done,  a  stan 
dard  of  wages  can  as  well  be  established  by  them  as  by 
tradesmen,  or  by  that  number  of  superior  workmen  who 
wish  to  establish  a  reputation  as  such.  But,  then,  may  not 
a  false  pride  come  in?  Some  women  of  education,  who 
have  been  reduced  in  fortune,  may  not  wish  to  be  known 
as  workwomen.  All  the  fancy-work  done  by  wealthy  young 
ladies  as  a  pastime  lowers  the  estimate  placed  on  woman's 
labor.  Woman's  labor  is  also  depreciated,  to  some  extent, 
by  women  in  the  country,  in  comfortable  circumstances, 
taking  away  their  sister  woman's  work  by  doing  it  in 
leisure  hours,  for  pocket-money,  at  lower  prices  than  it 
would  be  possible  to  do  it,  if  they  were  entirely  dependent 
on  their  labor.  Milliners  and  dress-makers  have  those  of 
their  own  sex  to  compete  with  who  are  not  engaged  in  any 
non-domestic  employments,  and  also  those  who  follow  the 
business  without  any  preparation,  while  men  engaged  in 
making  men's  clothing  have  no  reason  to  fear  like 
competition. 

A  reform  should  commence  with  women  of  position  and 
wealth.  How  often  may  you  see  a  well-dressed  woman 
cheapening  the  price  of  an  article,  and  that  article  very 
likely  the  workmanship  of  one  of  her  own  sex !  Perhaps 
the  merchant  favors  her,  and  falls  in  his  prices ;  but  he 
does  not  lose  ;  —  no,  he  deducts  from  his  work-people's 
wages ;  they  are  the  ones  to  suffer.  And  there,  I  think, 
is  the  need  of  producers  and  consumers  being  brought  more 
together,  not  separated  by  those  who  come  in  as  a  medium, 
accommodating  —  particularly  to  themselves.  Not,  that  we 


INJUSTICE   OF    WOMEN.  107 

object  to  men  who  do  business  honorably,  but  to  middlemen 
and  shavers. 

One  reason  why  men  succeed  better  than  women  m  what 
they  undertake,  of  a  personal  kind,  is,  that  they  are  likely 
to  have  more  friends  that  are  willing  to  exert  themselves, 
and  make  sacrifices  for  their  advancement.  L'ook,  for  in 
stance,  at  what  is  done  for  politicians.  Another  thing  is, 
that  men  apply  themselves  more  closely,  make  greater  effort, 
risk  more,  and  have  more  to  risk.  Women  in  business  are 
apt  to  be  very  selfish  and  jealous  of  their  business  interests. 
There  is  much  harshness  and  oppression,  a  great  bearing 
down  and  crushing  out  of  the  life  spirit.  Particularly  is 
it  so  from  married  to  single  women.  I  have  been  told  in 
New  York  that  if  a  single  woman  goes  alone  to  apply  for 
boarding,  at  some  houses,  the  doors  are  shut  in  her  face. 
Is  it  not  a  shame  to  the  housekeeper,  and  an  insult  to  the 
virtuous  single  woman?  I  have  seen  such  a  motto  as  this : 
"Am  I  not  a  woman  and  a  sister?"  Would  to  Heaven 
every  woman,  particularly  those  that  employ  work-women, 
would  study  the  question. 

The  impositions  and  oppressions  to  which  women  have 
been  subjected,  the  severe  struggles  of  those  engaged  in 
business  life,  their  limited  means,  and  long-continued  labor, 
will  account  for  the  greater  injustice  of  women  to  women, 
if  it  be  true  that  more  does  exist,  than  with  the  other  sex. 
One  person  rarely  hates  another  without  having  been  wronged 
by  the  individual,  or  having  wronged  the  individual. 

I  think  that  when  workwomen  are  convinced  that  efforts 
are  being  made  for  their  good,  they  are  able  to  somewhat 
appreciate  them,  and  in  most  cases,  are  not  ungrateful.  Yet 
gratitude  and  truth  are  not  often  permanent  growths,  unless 
the  seeds  are  planted  in  childhood. 


103  PREPARATION  FOR    USEFULNESS. 


PREPARATION   FOR  USEFULNESS. 

LET  a  girl  be  raised  with  a  thorough,  practical,  but  limited 
knowledge  of  household  duties.  It  will  not  then  be  dif 
ficult,  if  she  becomes  a  wife,  or  takes  charge  of  a  house,  to 
improve  and  extend  her  knowledge.  But  let  her  by  all  means 
gain  a  knowledge  of  sdme  employment  thai,  she  can  turn 
to  account,  if  remaining  a  single  lady,  or  left  a  penniless 
widow.  The  steady  pursuit  of  some  definite  plan  will 
greatly  promote  interest  and  happiness.  Her  knowledge  of 
such  a  pursuit  will  be  no  disadvantage,  even  if  always  a 
happy  and  prosperous  wTife. 

Why  should  not  girls  have  a  definite  preparation  made 
for  usefulness?  Are  boys  possessed  of  more,  or  higher 
faculties  ?  Are  they  more  gifted  by  nature  ?  If  so  they 
less  need  the  advantages  of  education.  In  the  progress  of 
the  age,  the  education  of  woman  is  becoming,  and  deserv 
edly  so,  a  distinctive  feature.  In  the  heyday  of  life,  when 
all  is  bright  and  sunny,  the  time  is  best  to  plant  the  seed  for 
future  growth. 

Let  girls  examine  the  different  employments,  and  then 
study  their  capabilities,  and  adapteduess,  and  when  they 
have  selected  a  pursuit,  follow  it  with  unflinching  persever 
ance.  They  should  not  permit  obstacles  to  daunt,  and  turn 
them  aside.  Common  sense,  a  resolute  will,  decision  of 
character,  promptness  of  action,  uniformity  of  temper,  self- 
control,  and  good  judgment,  will  fit  most  women  for  their 
duties,  whatever  they  be. 

The  circumstances  in  which  a  young  girl  approaches,  and 
enters,  womanhood,  are  never  twice  the  same.  For  that 
reason  it  behooves  her  to  be  prepared  by  education,  and  the 
exercise  of  judgment,  united  with  a  delicate  sense  of  pro- 


PREPARATION  FOR    USEFULNESS.  199 

priety  and  independence  of  character,  to  act  as  a  lady,  and 
a  Christian.  The  happiness  and  usefulness  of  the  future 
woman  should  be  considered  in  her  education.  The  prin 
ciples  and  conduct  of  a  young  girl  at  home,  and  among  her 
schoolmates,  are  a  pretty  fair  criterion  of  what  she  will  be 
when  a  wife  and  mother.  With  the  enthusiastic  nature  of 
most  young  ladies,  the  period  of  entering  into  society,  is 
one  of  peculiar  temptation.  Most  girls  need  to  be  withheld 
to  some  extent  from  the  excitements,  and  frivolities,  that  are 
really  intoxicating,  by  the  careful  hand  of  a  judicious  mother. 
How  much  danger  there  is  that  all  religious  impressions  be 
lost !  There  is  danger  of  self-love  too  much  engrossing  the 
young  girl.  She  is  apt  to  see  herself  in  a  light  too  favor 
able,  and  others  in  one  too  unfavorable.  So  varied,  so  irreg 
ular,  and  so  unlooked-for,  are  many  of  the  events  of  life, 
that  she  is  often  puzzled  to  know  the  best  course  to  pursue. 
Therefore  it  is  well  for  her  to  feel  the  superiority  of  mental, 
and  moral,  over  personal  beauty,  to  rightly  appreciate  the 
vast  influence  for  good  and  evil  woman  wields,  and  her 
noble  destiny  for  time  and  eternity.  If  homely,  she  may 
consider  how  many  women  have,  by  means  of  their  personal 
beauty  ,%been  lured  and  won  from  the  path  of  virtue  —  how- 
many  have  fallen  victims  to  the  wily  snares  of  wicked  men 
—  how  many  have  sunk  in  wretchedness,  in  degradation  and 
ruin.  Then  may  she  feel  resigned  that  she  received  not  that 
too  often  fatal  gift.  "  It  is  a  fact,"  says  Madame  Necker 
de  Saussure,  "  that  must  be  acknowledged,  that  the  second 
education,  that  which  we  give  to  ourselves  when  the  moral 
and  physical  powers  are  developed,  is  the  one  which  really 
bears  fruit ;  the  only  one  of  which  the  traces  are  never  ob 
literated." 

If  women  were  furnished  with  a  trade  or  profession,  they 
would  not  be  so  dependent  on  men.  They  would  not  be  so 
much  trained  with  the  view  of  marrying,  and  feeling  that  to 
be  the  only  resource  by  which  to  secure  a  livelihood.  It 
would  not  be  the  aim,  the  scheme  of  so  many  mothers  and 
daughters.  There  would  be  greater  dignity  in  the  female 


200  PREPARATION  FOR   USEFULNESS., 

character,  more  nobleness,  candor  and  purity.  Greater  ease, 
independence,  and  decision  would  prevail. 

A  woman  should  be  educated  under  all  circumstances. 
She  will  need  an  education  to  be  the  companion  of  man 
intellectually.  If  she  is  a  wife,  how  can  she,  if  ignorant, 
charm  him  in  his  leisure  moments,  and  render  his  home  a 
place  of  genial  companionship  ?  If  he  cannot  find  society 
in  his  own  home,  he  is  apt  to  seek  it  elsewhere.  How  vast 
—  how  powerful  is  the  influence  of  a  wife,  and  mother ! 
Her  impress  is  made  for  eternity,  as  well  as  time. 

The  increasing  wants  of  mankind  multiply  the  number  of 
employments,  but  discretion  needs  to  be  used  that  each  em 
ployment  is  filled  according  to  its  wants  —  not  that  some 
departments  be  crowded  to  excess,  and  others  lack  laborers. 
This  needs  to  be  thought  of  by  those  who  select  occupations 
for  young  people,  and  by  young  people  themselves.  The 
professions  of  law  and  medicine  are  now  crowded,  and  many 
a  young  man  must  endure  privations  for  years,  before  he 
can  establish  himself,  while  some  mechanical  departments 
of  labor  are  not  sufficiently  filled  to  meet  existing  wants. 
The  most  steady,  industrious,  and  skillful  laborers,  are  ever 
most  sure  of  employment,  and  such  rarely  fail  of  obtaining 
it,  for  it  is  to  the  interest  of  the  employer  to  retain  such. 
A  serviceable  direction  should  be  given  to  the  powers  of 
industry. 

We  cannot  urge  too  often  upon  parents  to  cultivate  to  the 
utmost,  the  talents  of  their  children,  and  give  them  a  right 
direction  and  free  scope.  The  character  of  a  nation  depends 
on  its  people,  and  that  depends  on  their  home  lives.  A  nation 
has  not  arrived  at  its  highest  state  of  perfection  until  each 
member  of  the  community  has  every  faculty  and  energy 
developed,  and  fully  employed.  Undoubtedly  many  are  pos 
sessed  of  capabilities  they  never  dreamed  of  possessing  until 
some  embarrassment,  or  disaster,  brought  them  out.  But 
the  active  exercise  of  their  other  powers  had  given  them 
energy  that  led  to  the  development  of  these. 

The   machinery  of  the  human  mind  should  be  kept  in 


PREPARATION  FOR    USEFULNESS.  201 

proper  working  order  to  accomplish  much.  The  frame 
work  in  which  it  rests,  should  not  be  worn  out  by  use,  or 
decayed  by  premature  age,  induced  by  any  avoidable  cause. 
If  you  would  make  yourselves  essential  to  others,  you  must 
do  something  for  their  comfort,  or  interest,  which  they  have 
not  the  ability  or  the  inclination  to  do.  That  you  can  do  so 
must  be  proved  in  many  cases  by  personal  effort,  or  by  the 
evidence  of  what  you  have  done  for  others.  Many  people  esti 
mate  others  exactly  in  proportion  to  what  they  do  for  them, 
not  in  proportion  to  their  moral  worth.  Let  your  work, 
whether  mental  or  manual,  be  practical  —  something  that 
will  benefit  yourselves  or  others.  You  may  put  in  operation 
a  cause,  the  results  of  which  will  be  limitless.^  You  may,  per 
haps,  advance  ideas  that  will  benefit  all  Christendom.  Amid 
provocations  and  ill  health,  endeavor  to  retain  your  self-con 
trol,  and  so  far  as  you  can,  consistently  with  your  conscience, 
agree  with  those  among  whom  you  live,  and,  in  doing  so, 
cultivate  a  sympathetic  nature.  Express  and  maintain,  so 
far  as  you  can,  an  interest  in  everybody,  yet  without  per 
mitting  your  spirit-nature  to  be  exhausted.  Do  not  let  the 
faults  of  those  connected  with  you  sour  your  temper.  Be 
as  careful  to  observe  truthfulness  when  talking  to  your  in 
feriors  as  to  those  above  you.  Acquire  that  knowledge  and 
discernment,  that  will  serve  as  a  safeguard  amid  the  temp 
tations  of  a  deceitful  world.  By  your  indefatigable  efforts, 
and  the  results,  be  individually  a  practical  illustration,  a 
living  memorial  of  what  one  woman  may  accomplish  when 
she  has  a  definite  purpose  in  view. 


202  OPPORTUNITIES   OF  DOING  GOOD. 


OPPORTUNITIES   OF   DOING   GOOD. 

TO  benefit  any  class  of  people,  thought,  time,  money, 
and  strength  must  be  given.  Some  injudicious,  but 
kind-hearted  people,  do  not  consider  that  by  trying  to  cor 
rect  certain  minor  errors  in  society  they  may  drive  the 
victims  into  greater  poverty  and  evil. 

If  some  single  lady,  or  widow  of  wealth,  would  like  to 
devote  her  time,  talents,  and  some  of  her  means,  to  the 
good  of  her  sex,  let  her  prepare  herself  for  carrying  on  one 
of  the  pursuits,  presenting  a  prospect  of  success,  set  forth 
in  my  work  entitled  "  The  Employments  of  Women."  She 
might,  in  time,  receive  back  all,  or  more  than  she  had 
expended,  and  by  her  goodness  win  the  love  and  gratitude 
of  many  that  she  would  personally  benefit,  by  furnishing 
employment  and  wages.  She  would  possess,  too,  the  ad 
miration  and  approbation  of  those  who  only  hear  of  her. 
The  blessings  of  many  will  rest  upon  her  in  life,  and  when 
she  is  gone  to  her  long  home  her  memory  will  be  cherished. 
She  may  set  in  action  a  series  of  causes  that  shall  be  fol 
lowed  by  an  indefinite  number  of  advantages  being  gained 
for  women.  If  she  did  not  succeed  in  realizing  her  expec 
tations,  it  might  lead  others  to  experiment,  and  exert  them 
selves,  until  something  is  accomplished.  Very  few  of  the 
great  discoveries  and  inventions  were  made  perfect  at  first. 
One  commenced,  another  discovered  some  defect,  and  reme 
died  it,  another  added  some  improvement,  and  so  on,  until 
the  acme  of  perfection  has  been  attained  in  many,  at  first, 
crude  inventions. 

If  wealthy  women  would  bequeath  their  money  to  estab 
lish  colleges  for  women,  to  aid  them  in  getting  into  new 
branches  of  labor,  to  establish  homes  for  those  out  of  em- 


OPPORTUNITIES  OF  DOING   GOOD.  203 

ployinent,  hospitals  for  the  sick,  and  asylums  for  the  aged, 
it  would  be  much  to  their  credit.  Seldom,  if  ever,  is  an 
effort  for  good  lost.  The  very  effort  brings  with  it  a  bless 
ing  to  the  individual.  Besides,  there  is  a  luxury  in  doing 
good.  If  you  go  forward,  and  succeed,  cheerfully  extend 
the  benefit  to  others.  Be  not  too  hasty  to  reap  the  fruit  of 
your  toil.  It  is  not  in  the  bright  hours  of  spring  that  the 
trees  are  filled  with  fruit,  but  in  the  long,  burning  days  of 
summer ;  so  time  and  experience  must  ripen  the  fruit  of 
your  toil.  Work,  and  leave  the  result  to  Heaven. 

Both  in  the  country  and  in  town  opportunities  offer  con 
stantly  for  doing  good.  Probably  more  opportunities  offer 
in  a  city,  on  account  of  the  great  collection  of  people,  and 
their  wants  not  being  so  generally  known.  But  the  mind 
is  so  much  divided  by  the  vanities,  and  varieties  of  a  city, 
and  there  are  so  many  impositions,  that  the  heart  loses 
much  of  its  tenderness,  and  desire  to  expend  upon  others 
its  warm,  generous  impulses.  Besides,  in  a  city  there  are 
constant  temptations  to  waste  time  and  opportunity  of  doing 
good.  But,  by  overcoming  these  temptations,  and  working 
while  it  is  day  with  all  the  energies  and  faculties,  character 
is  ennobled  and  purified,  and  the  Christian  receives  an  ad 
ditional  lustre  to  his  already  bright  profession.  Woman's 
agency  in  the  success  of  the  world,  her  influence  on  its 
destiny  for  weal  or  woe,  her  efforts  to  make  labor  honora 
ble  or  degrading,  her  ability  to  open  new  occupations  to 
women,  her  power  to  save  thousands  of  her  sex  from  ruin 
of  soul  and  body,  or  add  to  their  degradation,  seem  to  form 
the  problem  now  to  be  solved  in  England,  and  in  our  own 
country. 

The  duties  of  a  married  woman  may  not  employ  all  her 
energies.  Why,  then,  should  she  not  visit  the  sick  and 
poor  ?  The  true  glory  of  a  woman  lies  in  her  usefulness. 
Mental  and  moral  labors  are  to  be  wrought,  and  who  so  fit 
as  woman  ?  The  sick  are  to  be  nursed,  the  poor  clothed, 
the  orphan  provided  for ;  the  helplessness  of  childhood  and 
old  age  is  to  be  looked  after ;  misery,  wretchedness,  and 
want  are  to  be  banished  —  and  who  so  competent  as 


204  OPPORTUNITIES   OF  DOING    GOOD. 

woman?  Vice  and  crime  are  to  give  way  to  virtue,  and 
purity,  and  love,  and  holiness  —  and  who  a  more  powerful 
champion  than  woman? 

An  obligation  rests  on  those  in  easy  circumstances  to 
render  as  comfortable  as  possible  those  not  so  highly  fa 
vored.  It  is  their  duty  to  see  that  those  able  to  work  have 
it,  and  are  well  paid,  and  that  the  aged  and  orphans  unable 
to  work  be  fed  and  clothed.  Very  many  ladies  in  our  large 
cities  might  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  homeless  and  desolate. 
What  is  the  probable  proportion  of  single  women  of  wealth 
and  leisure  who  have  their  faculties  fully  and  profitably 
brought  into  use?  Is  it  not  small? 

Quiet,  unobtrusive  charity  is  not  less  precious  in  the  sight 
of  God  than  the  most  public.  "  The  poor  ye  have  always 
with  you."  The  condition  of  the  poor  should  be  investi 
gated,  and  such  assistance  given  as  discretion  dictates.  It 
will  do  the  rich  good  ;  it  will  warm  their  hearts,  remind 
them  of  the  fickleness  of  fortune,  and  impress  on  them  a 
consciousness  of  their  common  origin.  Money  is  of  no 
value  to  the  possessor,  or  any  one  else,  unless  in  circula 
tion.  If  hoarded  up,  it  cannot  do  any  one  good. 

Of  what  avail  is  talent  or  genius  unless  profitably  used? 
As  well  be  without.  Then  develop  your  physical  and  men 
tal  powers  to  their  fullest  extent,  and  seek  for  opportunities 
to  use  them.  You  will  not  have  occasion  to  seek  long. 
More  evil,  perhaps,  might  be  prevented  by  encouraging 
hope  in  the  poor  and  distressed.  Hope  is  a  strong  princi 
ple  of  our  nature,  and  without  it  an  appeal  to  the  energies 
is  almost  useless.  We  should  often  be  unable  to  support  the 
tax  levied  upon  our  sympathies,  by  the  suffering  that  sur 
rounds  us,  were  it  not  for  the  exertions  called  forth  to 
alleviate.  And,  O,  how  often  should  we  sink  under  dis 
couragement,  in  our  efforts  to  overcome  wrong,  were  it  not 
for  a  reliance  upon  a  higher  power  ! 

Much  evil  might  be  prevented  by  offering  rewards  for 
virtuous  and  useful  actions.  Morality  can  be  greatly  pro 
moted  among  the  lower  classes  by  the  encouragement  and 
example  of  those  in  better  conditions.  You  may  excite 


OPPORTUNITIES   OF  DOING    GOOD.  205 

their  feelings,  arouse  their  impulses,  and  restore  that  vi 
tality  which  has  long  slumbered.  The  voice,  the  words,  the 
manners  of  refined  and  amiable  women  will  do  much  to  in 
fluence  the  ignorant  or  degraded  of  their  own  sex.  It  will 
accomplish  more  than  aught  else.  And  the  very  fact  that 
one  whom  they  respect  manifests  an  interest  in  them  will, 
of  itself,  be  a  safeguard.  Make  them  feel  that  they  can  be, 
and  do,  something,  and  when  they  come  to  respect  them 
selves,  and  feel  that  they  are  worthy  of  respect,  they  will 
bless  you  who  kindly  encouraged  them,  and  pointed  them  to 
the  path  of  truth  and  virtue.  Love  of  our  fellow-beings  is 
but  a  reflection  of  that  higher  and  purer  love  we  experience 
for  the  Author  of  all  good.  There  will  be  much  that  is  dis 
agreeable  to  the  sight,  and  sickening  to  the  heart,  in  your 
labors,  but  do  not  mind  that.  Your  efforts  to  do  good 
will  not  be  lost,  though  you  see  not  the  result.  "  In  ad 
dressing  persons  of  inferior  station,  do  not  be  prone  to 
suppose  that  there  is  much  occasion  for  intellectual  conde 
scension  on  your  part ;  at  any  rate,  do  not  be  careless  in 
what  you  say,  as  if  anything  would  do  for  them.  Observe 
the  almost  infinite  fleetness  of  your  own  powers  of  thought, 
and  then  consider  whether  it  is  likely  that  education  has 
much  to  do  with  this.  Use  simple  language,  but  do  not  fear 
to  put  substance  in  it.  Choose,  if  you  like,  common  mate 
rials,  but  make  the  best  structure  you  can  of  them  ;  and  be 
assured  that  method  and  logical  order  are  not  thrown  away 
upon  any  one." 

The  isolation  that  exists  between  families,  and  between 
individuals  without  relatives,  forming  the  society  of  a  large 
city,  is  a  barrier  to  much  of  the  good  that  might  otherwise 
be  done.  Many  are  totally  ignorant  of  the  poor,  it  may  be, 
in  the  adjoining  square.  Individual  effort  may  accomplish 
much,  but  in  cities,  when  merged  into  a  society  or  organiza 
tion,  it  may  accomplish  a  more  than  proportionate  amount. ' 
Organize  societies  for  furnishing  destitute  women  with  re 
munerative  employment,  and  homes  for  such  women  when 
out  of  employment.  Let  your  heart  be  about  it,  and,  our 
word  for  it,  you  will  find  enough  to  do.  Establish  industrial 


206  OPPORTUNITIES   OF   DOING    GOOD. 

schools.  See  to  it  that  girls  are  trained  to  some  honest  pur 
suit,  and  we  will  venture  to  say  there  will  riot  be  one  fiftieth 
as  much  misery,  and  vice,  and  degradation,  among  women 
so  trained,  as  among  those  that  are  not.  Thousands  of  your 
sex  are  this  night  on  the  road  to  ruin.  Souls  are  too  pre 
cious  to  be  sacrificed.  Let  them  not  linger  on  the  shores 
of  eternal  death.  Go  to  their  rescue,  and  point  them  to  a 
Savior  of  love  and  pity.  To  save  from  degradation  your 
sisters  (for  are  you  not  all  of  the  same  stock,  having  the 
same  origin?)  is  a  duty  you  owe,  not  merely  as  Christians, 
but  as  women.  You  are  responsible  to  God,  your  country, 
your  friends,  and  yourselves,  for  exertion  in  this  matter. 

Your  acquaintance  with  people,  your  own  wants,  and 
reflection,  may  impress  you  with  other  means  of  usefulness 
to  be  accomplished  than  those  that  have  been  mentioned. 
At  first  the  idea  may  seem  but  a  seed.  You  may  plant  the 
seed.  The  germ,  by  sunlight,  moisture,  earth,  and  air,  ex 
pands  and  bursts  ;  a  stem  rises,  leaves  grow  out,  blossoms 
come  forth,  and  there  it  is  —  a  whole,  living,  and  beautiful 
plant.  So  your  idea  may  gradually  develop  and  take  form, 
until  it  is  no  longer  the  dry,  dark  seed  of  a  few  months 
back,  but  a  bright,  glowing,  and  spreading  plant,  beneath 
which  many  may  rest,  when  wearied  by  the  hard  and  hur 
ried  tramp  of  life.  Let  your  work  be  woman's  work  —  one 
of  the  head  and  heart.  Let  the  knowledge  you  acquire  be 
the  assistant  to  others  you  have  sought  for  yourself. 

Among  other  methods  of  doing  good,  I  would  beg  of  ladies 
to  patronize  or  encourage  establishments  where  the  work 
women  are  not  underpaid  or  overworked.  They  could, 
without  much  trouble,  learn  where  such  is  the  case.  In 
some  of  our  large  cities  are  houses  where  girls  are  required 
to  labor  for  their  employers  every  moment  of  their  waking 
hours,  except  when  eating  a  hurried  meal.  Feel  for  those 
poor  girls  as  you  would  for  a  sister,  and,  O,  how  vast  the 
amount  of  good  you  may  accomplish !  Every  Christian 
man  and  woman  possessed  of  reason,  and  the  comforts  of 
life,  should,  if  they  have  a  moment  of  leisure,  or  a  spare 
dollar,  be  up  and  doing,  for  "  the  night  cometh,  when  none 


OPPORTUNITIES   OF  DOING   GOOD.  207 

can  work."     Truly  "  the  harvest  is  plenteous,  and  the  labor 
ers  few'1 

People  of  wealth  and  leisure,  with  judgment  and  inventive 
skill,  could  confer  a  benefit  on  hand-workers  by  increasing 
the  value  of  that  work,  instructing  them  in  the  best  methods 
of  performing  it,  in  adding  to  the  facilities  for  prosecuting 
it  efficiently  and  expeditiously,  and  in  making  known  the 
inventions  for  preventing  disease  from  certain  employments. 
The  rich  can  thus  help  to  save  themselves  from  idle,  ener 
vated,  aimless  lives.  Any  surplus  of  worldly  possessions 
they  have  might  be  advantageously  used  in  carrying  out 
such  benevolent  suggestions.  It  would  be  a  good  invest 
ment  with  the  rich  —  a  deposit  in  the  bank  of  heaven. 


208      LADIES'   BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS. 


LADIES'   BENEVOLENT   ORGANIZATIONS. 

IN  our  largest  cities  there  are  thousands  of  females  en 
gaged  in  various  employments,  and  day  after  day  more 
come  in.  Many  of  them  are  without  friends  or  even  ac 
quaintances.  Perhaps  they  think,  as  the  city  is  large,  there 
must  be  many  openings  for  employment,  and  to  get  there  is 
all  that  is  sufficient.  My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  this 
subject  by  cases  that  came  immediately  under  my  observa 
tion.  And  to  the  ladies  of  our  cities,  that  are  champions  in 
a  good  cause,  I  would  call  attention. 

About  ten  years  ago  I  met  with  one  case  referred  to.  I 
was  on  a  boat  coming  to  St.  Louis.  Among  the  lady  pas 
sengers  I  observed  a  girl  about  sixteen,  I  presume,  plainly 
and  neatly  dressed.  She  looked  sad  and  lonely,  but,  I  sup 
posed,  was  traveling  with  some  one.  While  standing  on  the 
guard,  as  the  boat  drew  near  St.  Louis,  a  pleasant  little 
lady  pointed  out  to  me  her  father's  residence.  Then 
I  made  some  inquiry  in  regard  to  the  different  buildings, 
whose  spires  loomed  above  that  great  and  proud  city.  Our 
desultory  talk  ran  from  one  subject  to  another,  until  the  lady 
remarked,  "  There  is  a  young  lady  on  the  boat  that  has 
aroused  my  sympathy.  She  tells  me  she  is  coming  to  St. 
Louis  to  seek  employment  as  a  seamstress,  and  on  inquiry, 
I  learned  from  her  she  has  not  a  friend  or  acquaintance  in 
the  place."  I  asked  a  description,  and  found  it  was  the 
sad,  quiet-looking  girl  1  had  observed.  Well,  thought  I,  if 
there  were  only  a  Ladies'  Aid  Association  to  which  I  might 
direct  her,  how  grateful  I  should  be  !  She  might  go  there 
and  make  known  her  wants  and  abilities,  and  perhaps  be 
cheered  and  helped  on  her  rough,  lonely  road.  A  word  of 
sympathy,  advice,  and  assistance  might  relieve  her  anxious 
mind. 


LADIES'  BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS.     209 

While  traveling  in  a  stage-coach  from  St.  Louis,  I  learned, 
accidentally,  of  a  different,  but  somewhat  similar  case,  from 
the  conversation  of  some  passengers  —  the  relater  of  the 
incident  being  a  man  that  I  knew  by  reputation  as  a  mail 
of  influence,  standing  and  piety. 

Last  summer,  while  traveling  OR  the  Ohio  River,  two  other 
cases  were  incidentally  brought  to  my  immediate  knowledge 

one  an  orphan  girl  —  the  other  with  a  trifling,  drunken 

father.    They  were  going  to  new  places  to  seek  employment. 
In  those  places  they  had  no  friends  or  acquaintances,  and  as 
to  letters  of  introduction,  or  credentials,  they  scarcely  knew 
what  they  were.     Poor  girls  !     I  thought  then,  if  in  Louis 
ville,  St.  Louis,  Chicago  and  New  Orleans,  there   existed 
Protestant  institutions,  of  a  charitable  kind,  for  seeking  and 
furnishing  employment  to  young  women,  what  a  great  bless 
ing  it  would  be.     Young  ladies  that  have  leisure,  might  do 
an  immense  amount  of  good  by  interesting  themselves  in 
such  a  work.     Ah  !  my  friends,  you,  who  enjoy  the  comforts 
and  pleasures  of  life,  little   know  the   hardships,  sufferings 
and  temptations  of  the  poor.     Perhaps  some  say  we  should 
be  imposed  upon.     Better  bear  imposition  occasionally  than 
permit  one  soul  to  be  lost.     I  appeal  to  you,  kind  women  in 
towns  and  cities.     How  many  a  weary,  homeless  one  of 
your  sex  might  be   saved,  if  some  kind  guardian  were  at 
hand  to  guide  and  direct  her  in  obtaining  employment.     If 
every  liberal  and  benevolent  woman  would  take  each  one  of 
the  kind  that  came  to  her  knowledge,  by  the  hand,  and  say, 
"  Friend,  here  is  a  home  and  employment  for  you,"  how 
many  might  be  saved  from  the  snare  of  the  tempter  !     Here 
is  a  work  for  your  hands  and  hearts.     Form  associations  and 
build  up  asylums  where   these   poor  lone   wanderers  may 
come  until  they  get  employment.     Furnish  them  with  remu 
nerative  work  if  you  can  —  if  not,  assist  them  in  their  efforts 
to  obtain  employment,  and  ever  keep  a  kind  and  watchful 
eye  over  them,  and  you  will  be  blessed  by  your  heavenly 
Father.     Let  the  enterprise  have  for  its  object  the  good  of 
humanity.      The  cooperation  of  educated  and  noble  men 
will  give  spirit  and  strength  to  the  Association.     Let  such 
14 


210     LADIES'  BENEVOLENT  ORGANIZATIONS. 

rally  their  powers.  "  Gently  scan  your  brother  man.  Still 
gentler,  sister  woman."  The  few  flowers  that  bloom  in  the 
desert  of  life  —  kindness,  sympathy  and  love  —  the  lone,  sad 
ones,  you  would  benefit,  may  not  have  known.  Palliate  their 
misery.  Calm  their  souls  wrung  by  anguish.  Exchange 
the  dark  and  stormy  path  they  have  trod  for  a  quiet  and 
peaceful  one.  Your  personal  efforts  and  influence  can  do 
much.  Wearied  and  worn,  it  may  be,  these  homeless  wan 
derers  find  not  a  resting-place  in  this  dark,  gloomy  world. 
Like  a  bird  of  passage,  they  flit  from  place  to  place,  and 
like  the  first  dove  Noah  sent  forth,  find  not  a  resting-place 
for  the  sole  of  their  foot. 

Say  not  there  are  none  such.  Skeptics,  there  are  such, 
and  many  such  ;  and  those  that  have  lived  any  time  in  large 
cities  can  testify  to  such  cases  having  fallen  under  their  own 
observation.  What  is  wrong  in  woman  is  wrong  in  man, 
and  what  is  right  in  woman  is  right  in  man  ;  but  the  injus 
tice  of  society  permits  that  to  be  right  in  a  man  which  would 
be  considered  very  bad  in  woman.  There  is  not  in  the  Bible 
a  code  of  morals  for  man  and  another  for  woman  ;  but  some 
men,  self-indulgent  to  themselves  and  harsh  in  their  judg 
ment  of  women,  have  made  one  which,  to  some  extent,  regu 
lates  the  general  opinion  of  society.  Custom  blinds  to  the 
error  of  many  things  in  civilized  life. 


HOUSES   OF  REFUGE.  211 


HOUSES   OF  REFUGE   AND    INDUSTRIAL 
SCHOOLS. 

HAVE  pity  on  homeless,  neglected  children.  To  them 
life  is  a  long,  dark  void,  broken  only  by  wails  and 
sobs.  No  parent's  love  has  warmed  their  hearts.  The  kind 
voice,  the  soft  gleam  of  the  eye,  the  warm  pressure  of  the 
hand,  are  unknown  to  them.  Affection  has  not  provided 
them  with  a  home.  Their  young  hearts,  frozen  by  neglect 
and  vice,  might  be  softened  by  tenderness,  and  their  feet 
directed  in  the  path  of  duty  by  kindness.  Their  griefs  are 
hard  to  be  borne.  They  are  oppressed  and  degraded.  O, 
raise  poor  neglected  children  from  their  sad  and  low  condi 
tion.  They  hear  not  the  music  of  a  loved  one's  voice,  nor 
watch  the  tender  love-lit  eyes.  The  Angel  of  Love  long 
since  ceased  to  spread  his  pinions  above  them.  On  the  young 
brow  is  the  impress  of  sorrow.  The  young  face  is  lined 
with  marks  of  care.  The  tear  of  sorrow  and  grief  falls 
from  the  eye.  How  eloquently  it  speaks  !  It  tells  of  anguish 
of  spirit  and  a  bleeding  heart.  The  life-blood  of  that  young 
heart  is  curdled.  It  has  been  accustomed  to  see  that  evil  of 
nature,  and  blackness  of  heart,  which,  of  all  others,  a  child 
should  never  know.  Then  gladden  the  lonely  path  of  young 
wanderers.  Give  them  sympathy  and  companionship.  En 
courage  them  in  the  performance  of  duty  —  stimulate  them 
to  persevere  in  overcoming  difficulties.  Fill  their  hearts 
with  a  love  of  justice,  truth,  and  mercy.  When  the  sensi 
tive  nature  of  childhood  is  chilled  by  coldness  and  neglect, 
when  the  buoyant  spirit  is  shadowed,  and  the  outgushing 
affection  of  a  warm,  loving  heart  is  checked,  or  cast  back  on 
itself,  it  proves  a  hard,  bitter  lesson.  Distrust  follows,  and 
its  whole  retinue  of  gloomy  attendants. 


212  HOUSES   OF  REFUGE. 

Many  persons  of  enlarged  views,  and  extended  observa 
tion,  think  it  a  fault  of  the  present  age  that  the  remedial 
schemes  exceed  the  preventive.  No  power  is  more  effectual 
for  the  world's  reform  than  proper  attention  to  the  rising 
generation.  The  mind  is  as  much  developed  as  the  physi 
cal  being  by  action.  We  think  our  orphan  asylums,  indus 
trial,  and  reformatory  schools,  have  generally  confined  their 
pupils  too  much  to  books,  and  not  enough  to  the  acquisition 
of  a  pursuit  for  after-support.  Children  need  to  be  taught 
to  labor  intelligently,  and  to  use  the  best  and  most  approved 
means  for  accomplishing  the  results.  The  discipline  so 
acquired,  and  the  habits  formed,  would  be  ever  after  an 
invaluable  acquisition. 

A  mighty  work  has  been  commenced  and  carried  on  in  the 
North  in  the  rescuing  of  children  from  bad  influences,  and 
placing  them  in  homes  where  they  will  be  cared  for,  and  reli 
giously  trained.  Institutions  for  the  reform  of  juvenile  crimi 
nals,  are  very  much  needed  in  our  Western  States.  At  Wil 
son's  Industrial  School,  New  York,  some  of  the  older  girls  are 
taught  dress-making  by  a  practical  dress-maker,  who  receives 
a  salary.  When  they  have  learned,  they  can  remain,  and  for 
their  sewing  receive  four  dollars  per  month  and  their  din 
ners,  but  they  must  attend  school  in  the  morning.  They 
receive,  as  others  do,  a  penny  for  each  good  mark  in  school. 
Opportunities  that  offer  for  getting  them  situations  where 
they  can  do  better  are  effectually  used.  The  school  has 
most  girls  in  winter.  In  summer  many  go  to  the  country 
and  pick  berries,  put  up  pickles,  &c.  Many  of  the  summer 
inmates  are  fur-sewers.  In  New  York  some  Sisters  of 
Charity  conduct  an  Industrial  School,  where  an  orphan  girl, 
for  one  hundred  dollars,  is  supported  for  three  years,  and 
during  the  time  is  taught  a  trade,  and  some  book  learning. 
In  houses  of  refuge  at  the  North,  for  boys,  different  trades 
are  taught  —  shoe-making,  broom-making,  whip-making, 
chair-seating,  the  weaving  of  wire-cloth,  &c.  A  reforma 
tory  school  of  Boston,  has  originated  the  plan  of  employing 
the  boys  in  the  different  occupations  requisite  for  navigating 
vessels.  The  institution  has  one  or  more  boats  of  its  own, 


HOUSES   OF  REFUGE.  213 

manned,  and  conducted  almost  entirely  by  its  boys.  Many 
a  child  is  saved  from  ruin  by  being  provided  with  a  pleas 
ant  reformatory  home.  In  a  few  orphan  asylums,  just  as  a 
girl  has  reached  the  age  when  she  most  needs  protection.and 
counsel,  companionship  and  sympathy,  and  the  possession 
of  some  regular  occupation  by  which  to  earn  a  livelihood, 
slie  is,  by  rules  limiting  the  advantages  of  the  institution  to 
those  of  specified  ages,  excluded  from  the  shelter  of  said 
institution  ;  its  doors  are  closed  upon  her,  and  she  must  go 
forth  into  the  cold  world  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  alone  and 
unarmed.  But  in  most  charitable  institutions  care  is  taken 
to  secure  good  homes  to  the  inmates  when  they  leave. 

***** 

Poor  young  pilgrim,  may  strangers  care  for  thee  and  bless 
thee.  May  tliey  give  thee  a  home  —  a  cheerful  fireside. 
May  they  practice  lessons  of  virtue  and  charity,  as  well  as 
teach  them.  May  they  carry  out  the  wish  of  a  young  poet : 

"  A  little  life-boat  I  will  be  — 
And  where'er  the  storms  have  raged, 
That  made  a  wreck  of  peace  and  happiness, 
I'll  cruise  to  pick  the  lost  ones  up,  and  save, 
And  give  them  food  and  drink  for  sustenance." 

And  mayst  thou,  young  pilgrim,  though  grateful  for  earth 
ly  blessings,  not  forget  to  look  forward  "  to  thy  better  rest 
in  heaven." 


214       BOARDING-HOUSES  FOR    WORKWOMEN. 


BOARDING-HOUSES   FOR  WORKWOMEN. 

IN  all  large  cities  boarding-houses  should  be  established 
for  workwomen.  They  should  be  under  the  supervision 
of  the  various  churches,  or  conducted  by  organizations  of 
humane  and  benevolent  ladies.  The  price  of  board  should 
be  such  as  to  place  it  within  the  power  of  all  workers,  re 
ceiving  moderate  wages,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  comforts 
of  the  house.  To  establish  such  houses  would  require 
judgment  and  peculiar  tact.  They  must  be  adapted  to 
the  social  position  and  education  of  the  occupants,  yet  of 
such  a  character  as,  to  elevate  and  improve  them.  The 
houses  should  be  in  healthy  and  respectable  locations,  kept 
neat  and  comfortable  ;  plain,  wholesome,  well-prepared  food, 
furnished  at  regular  hours,  and  a  purely  moral  and  religious 
influence  exerted.  It  would  be  well  to  have  a  flower  garden 
attached.  It  would  be  well  to  have  family  worship,  and,  ou 
Sunday  evening,  a  Bible  class  for  those  who  choose  to  at 
tend.  Lectures  by  distinguished  men,  social  gatherings 
occasionally,  a  library  and  reading-room,  magic-lantern 
exhibitions,  paintings,  statuary,  musical  instruments,  inno 
cent  and  instructive  games,  drawing  and  singing  classes, 
would  tend  to  the  elevation,  and  contribute  to  the  recreation 
of  the  inmates.  A  pleasant  change,  now  and  then,  might 
be  to  assemble  and  sew,  while  one  of  the  number  reads 
aloud  from  a  selected  book  or  magazine.  A  matron  should 
be  secured  that  would  exert  a  good  influence,  and  show  the 
boarders  attention  in  sickness  and  distress.  By  such  kind 
ness,  some  may  be  saved  from  the  snares  and  pitfalls  that 
beset  the  weary,  heart-sick  pilgrim. 

Connected  with   the   bookbindery  of  the  Appletons,   in 
New  York,  is  a  society  formed  of  the  women  who  work 


BOARDING-HOUSES  FOR    WORKWOMEN.       215 

in  it,  that  contribute  a  small  sum  weekly  to  the  care  of  the 
sick  of  their  number.     It  is  a  wise  regulation,  and  one  we 
would   love    to    see    adopted   by   all    establishments  where 
women   are   employed.      In  several  of  the  large  stores  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  the  saleswomen  and  lady  book 
keepers  have  lunch  at  twelve  or  half  past  twelve.     The  ar 
rangements  are  such  that  they  can  have  tea  or  coffee  made. 
It  is  the  case  at  Evans's  and  Sharpless's  stores,  Philadelphia, 
and  at  Harpers'  bookbindery,  New  York.     At  the  3Iission 
Booms  opposite  the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York, 
prayer-meeting  is   held  every  Thursday,  at  noon,  for  the 
work-people  of  the  establishment.     A  city  missionary  told 
me  he  thought  about  one  half  of  the  workwomen  of  New 
York  board,   and   one   half  live  at  home.      They  pay,  in 
ordinary  times,  for  board,  from  fifty  cents  to  five  dollars 
and  fifty  cents  a  week.     The  wages  of  some  workwomen 
are  such  that  they  can  only  get  board  of  the  most  common 
kind.     The  majority  of  those  in  the  lower  walks  of  life,  in 
New  York  city,  sleep  in  a  room  with  from  ten  to  twenty 
persons,   and,   in   many  cases,   not  all  of  their  own   sex. 
Some,  owing  to  the  crowded  condition  of  the   house,  are 
obliged  to  sleep  in  the  same  room  with  the  man  and  woman 
of  the  house.     When  human  beings  are  huddled  together  in 
that  way,  is  it  strange  that  crime,  misery,  degradation,  and 
disease  are  rife  among  them  ?     A  lady  connected  with  the 
Magdalen  Society  of  New  York  told  me  that  she  knew  of 
several  girls  who  had  been  ruined  by  getting  into  boarding- 
houses  they  were  told  were  respectable,  but  found,  to  their 
sorrow,  were  not.     An  intelligent  young  girl  told  me  there 
is  great  corruption  in  many  of  the  boarding-houses  for  work- 
girls  in  New  York.     Some  men,  able  to  pay  good  prices, 
board  in  those  cheap  houses  for  the  influence  they  may 
obtain   over  the  girls,  and  finally  ruin  them.     When  the 
dread  of  becoming  homeless  and  friendless  enters  the  every 
thought  of  work-girls,  and  the  dread  of  destitution  and  fam 
ine  stares  them  in  the  face,  is  it  strange  they  find  it  difficult 
to  compose  their  minds  to  reflection,  or  anything  else,  or 
that  they  feel  no  interest  in  reading?     Indeed,  many  of 


216        BOARDING-HOUSES  FOR    WORKWOMEN. 

them  cannot  read ;  besides,  how  very  few  are  able  to  get 
books  !  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  in  a  room  where  a  dozen 
or  more  are  variously  engaged,  it  requires  some  practice  to 
abstract  one's  self  sufficiently  to  become  absorbed  in  a  book. 
And  in  the  densely  crowded  portions  of  a  city  the  rooms  of 
some  are  between  a  rum-shop  and  a  gambling-house,  for 
poverty  precludes  a  choice  of  locality.  In  New  York  there 
is  a  boarding-house  the  inmates  of  which  are  mostly  young 
ladies  attending  the  School  of  Design,  where  they  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  wood  engraving,  china  decorating,  designing 
for  wall-paper,  &c.,  by  which  to  earn  a  livelihood  in  those 
departments  of  art.  They  are  well  educated  —  many  of 
them  have  been  teachers,  and  most  of  them  are  orphans, 
but  have  very  limited  means.  They  are  plainly  but  com 
fortably  accommodated,  and  receive  their  boarding  at  a  low 
rate.  A  few  teachers,  dress-makers,  and  store-girls,  whose 
incomes  are  small,  are  also  accommodated. 

Three  boarding-houses  of  a  kindred  nature  have  recently 
been  established  there,  in  two  of  which  women  of  all  pur 
suits  and  all  ages  are  received ;  two  are  also  in  operation  in 
Philadelphia,  two  in  Boston,  and  one  in  Chicago. 

Would  it  not  be  a  noble  work  for  some  wealthy  person, 
or  persons,  to  establish  a  home  for  virtuous,  worthy  women, 
when  out  of  employment,  and  where  facilities  would  be  af 
forded  for  securing  them  some  respectable  reumerative 
employment?  Such  a  temporary  home  would  prove  a 
blessing  to  many  a  good  but  homeless  woman.  It  would 
be  American  women,  of  some  education,  for  whose  benefit  I 
would  especially  suggest  the  enterprise,  and  at  the  present 
time,  when  hundreds  and  thousands  have  lost,  by  the  war, 
property  and  friends  on  whom  they  depended  for  support. 


LADIES'   EMPLOYMENT  AGENCY.  217 


LADIES'   EMPLOYMENT  AGENCY. 

THE  object  of  such  an  agency  as  I  suggest  is  to  furnish 
employment  to  women,  and  to  be  the  means  of  opening 
more  occupations,  particularly  to  educated  women,  and,  in  so 
doing,  increase  their  ways  of  earning  a  respectable  livelihood, 
and  also  bring  about  a  better  remuneration  for  women's 
work.  That  there  is  a  necessity  for  such  an  agency,  is  very 
evident  from  the  vast  number  of  dependent  women. 

It  surely  cannot  be  that  more  women  have  been  placed 
upon  earth  than  there  is  any  use  for.  If  not,  their  faculties 
should  be  healthily  and  fully  developed,  and  it  cannot  be  done 
without  employment. 

In  conducting  this  agency  it  is  necessary  to  have  an  organ 
ization  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  whose  aid,  advice  and  en 
couragement  will  be  given.  Meetings  should  be  held  by 
them  at  least  once  a  fortnight,  until  the  agency  is  well  estab 
lished,  to  talk  over  matters  connected  with  it.  The  judgment 
and  tact  of  any  one  individual  are  insufficient  to  direct  the 
varied  cases  that  are  submitted.  It  would  be  well  to  interest 
wealthy  and  influential  ladies  in  the  cause.  By  explaining 
in  person  the  object  in  view,  a  deeper  impression  is  made 
than  by  writing.  People  interested  in  this  matter  could  do 
much  to  secure  employees  of  a  good  class. 

The  enterprise  can  be  made  a  matter  of  mutual  advantage 
to  employers  and  employees,  and  every  portion  of  the  country 
be  thereby  benefited. 

Great  efforts  must  be  made,  and  every  precaution  used,  to 
prevent  imposition.  No  woman  should  have  the  privileges 
of  the  agency  who  cannot  bring  a  letter  of  introduction  and 
recommendation,  or  present  testimonials  of  character  from 
some  respectable  and  responsible  person  in  the  city,  or  out 


218  LADIES'  EMPLOYMENT  AGENCY. 

of  it.  If  from  a  person  out  of  the  city,  the  character  of  ft  «6 
person  is  to  be  ascertained,  if  possible,  and,  if  found  reliable, 
he  or  she  is  to  be  written  to  immediately,  to  ascertain  if  the 
reference  is  genuine.  Much  care  should  be  exercised  in  the 
selection  of  a  person  to  take  charge  of  the  office.  A  char 
acter  of  the  highest  moral  tone,  influenced  by  religious  prin 
ciples,  united  with  agreeable  manners,  business  habits,  and 
a  good  knowledge  of  the  French  and  German  languages,  is 
desideratum  of  the  first  importance.  The  duties  of  the  office 
should  be  performed  in  a  faithful  Christian  spirit. 

Some  partiality  should  be  shown  in  selecting  situations 
offered  to  workers.  A  choice  must  always  be  made,  where 
different  locations  offer,  of  those  best  adapted  to  health,  and 
furnishing  the  best  advantages  religiously,  socially,  and 
educationally.  These  advantages  alone  should  make  a 
distinction. 

When  application  is  made  to  the  agency  for  lady  copyists, 
secretaries,  book-keepers,  &c.,  by  persons  living  out  of  the 
city,  they  should  furnish  satisfactory  references,  unless  they 
are  known  to  some  members  of  the  board. 

The  difficulty  of  sending  women  from  the  agency  to  em 
ployers  in  other  places  might,  I  think,  be  obviated  in  this 
way.  The  employers  might  pay  the  traveling  expenses  to 
the  place  on  condition  the  individual  gives  a  written  agree 
ment  to  remain  six  months,  and  work  for  specified  wages,  or 
work  a  certain  length  of  time  without  charge,  until  traveling 
expenses  are  defrayed.  If  the  applicant  pays  her  expenses, 
she  should  be  at  liberty  to  leave  as  soon  as  she  pleases.  If 
funds  to  convey  the  lady  whose  services  are  required  to  her 
place  of  destination  are  to  be  furnished  by  the  employer, 
they  must  be  received  prior  to  the  lady  starting  on  her  jour 
ney.  Money  can  be  sent  by  mail,  by  express,  or  in  any 
other  safe  way,  and  as  soon  as  received,  the  agent,  or  one 
of  the  committee,  will  purchase  tickets  for  the  place  of  des 
tination,  and  supply  enough  money  out  of  that  sum  to  pur 
chase  such  refreshments  as  will  be  needed  on  the  journey, 
and  furnish  an  additional  item  to  use  in  case  of  detention  on 
the  way  by  accident  or  sickness.  A  sum  should  be  paid  by  the 


LADIES'  EMPLOYMENT  AGENCY.  219 

applicant  as  a  registration  fee,  and  something  by  employers. 
The  amount  can  be  determined  on  by  the  committee.  I 
would  suggest  a  fee  of  two  dollars  under  professional,  artis 
tic,  or  mercantile  pursuits  ;  in  other  avocations,  one  dollar 
and  fifty  cents.  A  percentage  may  also  be  charged  on  the 
salary  when  the  place  is  secured. 

An  annual  report  of  the  agency  should  be  published. 
Donations  or  legacies  left  to  the  agency  should  be  accepted 
if  they  do  not  conflict  with  its  spirit  and  intention.  They 
might  form  a  fund  to  aid  -those  unable  to  secure  the  services 
of  the  agency.  As  stated  before,  the  benefits  of  the  agency 
should  accrue  to  women  in  any  part  of  the  United  States 
from  which  application  is  made,  if  the  cases  are  found  wor 
thy  of  attention.  After  the  most  deserving  belonging  to  the 
city  have  been  accommodated,  others  should  be,  so  far  as 
the  means  of  the  agency  will  admit.  Such  applicants  as  are 
exceedingly  fastidious  about  the  places  offered  them,  and 
very  difficult  to  please,  after  proper  effort  has  been  made 
to  give  them  satisfaction,  should  be  set  aside  for  other 
applicants. 

If  keepers  of  fancy  stores,  dry  goods  merchants,  druggists, 
&c.,  would  employ  women,  it  would  help  to  bring  the  enter 
prise  more  directly  into  operation. 

The  field  for  the  establishment  of  such  an  agency  is  clear. 
Many  men,  now  having  female  relatives  or  connections  de 
pendent  on  them,  would  avail  themselves  of  the  privileges  of 
the  agency,  and  many  employers  would  take  women  because 
their  labor  is  cheaper.  Many  lady  teachers  would  prefer  to 
come  to  a  lady  to  get  a  situation. 


220  SECRET  SOCIETIES, 


SECRET   SOCIETIES. 

I  HAVE  ranch  faith  in  organizations  for  accomplishing 
good  when  conducted  by  people  of  integrity  and  judg 
ment.  The  united  thought,  ingenuity,  and  effort,  of  a  num 
ber,  are  brought  to  bear  upon  one  subject,  or  in  pursuance 
of  one  object.  The  benefit  accruing  is  similar  to  that  of  a 
division  of  labor  in  mechanical  employments.  But  never, 
under  any  circumstances,  or  in  any  climate,  can  we  tolerate 
in  such  societies  a  want  of  personal  freedom.  What  are 
considered  such  societies  by  some  people  exist  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  church.  One  of  their  forms  is  of  a  secret  nature  — 
that  of  confession.  Rigid  Protestants  consider  it  a  blot  upon 
their  religion,  a  curse  that  should  not  be  suffered.  Like 
everything  else,  it  has  its  merits  and  demerits.  In  some 
respects  it  has  an  advantage  that  no  Protestant  church  pos 
sesses.  A  virtuous,  judicious,  and  honorable  confessor,  may 
be  a  guide,  and  counselor,  to  the  lonely  and  desolate.  He 
will  advise  with,  upon  temporal,  as  well  as  spiritual  matters, 
and  give  that  friendly  aid,  and  those  valuable  suggestions, 
that  many  a  poor  mortal  in  a  Protestant  church  needs,  but 
never  receives.  I  dbubt  not  but  the  confessional  has  saved 
many  a  woman  from  ruin,  and  insanity,  and  many  a  man 
from  deeds  of  desperation,  and  even  suicide.  The  Roman 
Catholic  church  has  made  a  wise  provision  for  its  single 
women  by  establishing  sisterhoods.  The  property  of  those 
who  become  members  goes  into  the  common  fund  ;  those  that 
are  without  means  are  provided  for.  All  give  their  time, 
and  efforts,  to  the  performance  of  specified  duties,  selected 
with  reference  to  the  capabilities  of  each  individual.  A  full 
equivalent,  and  in  many  cases  more  than  an  equivalent,  is 
thus  given  in  the  services  of  even  those  members  that  enter 


SECRET  SOCIETIES.  221 

without  means,  for  the  material  comforts  they  receive ;  yet 
it  relieves  thousands  of  women  from  the  fear  that  they  will 
not  be  provided  for,  and  taken  care  of  in  old  age.  Protes 
tants  are  beginning  to  see  its  advantages,  and  are  establish 
ing  orders  of  Deaconesses,  which  are  similar  in  their  nature. 
The  restrictions  of  Protestant  organizations  are  not  so  great, 
they  not  requiring  the  entire  surrender  of  property,  nor  a 
vow  of  eternal  celibacy,  nor  a  life-long  servitude.  Such  a 
course  better  accords  with  our  ideas  of  liberty.  Let  women 
leave  the  orders  when  they  wish.  Many  women  become  nuns 
partially  ignorant  of  the  sacrifices  to  be  incurred,  the  hard 
ships  endured.  The  vows  once  taken,  they  are  forever  cut 
off  from  intercourse  with  every  human  being,  save  their 
sister  nuns,  and  the  priests  to  whom  they  confess.  If  we 
are  rightly  informed,  the  members  of  the  inclosed  sisterhoods 
are  debarred  intercourse  even  with  each  other.  They  are 
immured  in  prison  walls,  unable  to  leave,  or  even  escape  if 
they  desire.  They  are  deprived  of  breathing  the  pure  air, 
and  treading  the  green  earth.  Their  buildings  are  the  only 
ones  in  this  country  that  are  exempt  from  the  eye  of  civil 
scrutiny,  and  they  ought  not  to  be. 


222  WOMEN   WITHOUT  A   HOME. 


WOMEN   WITHOUT   A   HOME. 

TO  girls  that  have  their  own  way  to  make  through  the 
world,  life  presents  but  little  that  is  inviting.  A  girl 
is  left  destitute.  She  looks  about  her,  and  on  reflection 
or  inquiry,  perhaps,  finds  she  may  engage  in  some  labor, 
but  fears  that  the  propriety  of  her  course  may  be  ques 
tioned.  Naturally  timid,  and  wanting  encouragement,  she 
shrinks  back,  and  perhaps  becomes,  the  rest  of  her  life,  a 
helpless,  soured  woman,  clinging  as  she  can  to  some  rela 
tive  or  friend  for  a  support.  If  we  analyze  her  feelings,  we 
find  her  inefficiency  arose  from  the  want  of  self-reliance, 
and  a  morbid  sensitiveness.  The  last-mentioned  bane  to 
success  is  one  for  which  many  parents  are  accountable. 
They  raise  their  children  as  they  would  hot-house  plants, 
instead  of  preparing  them  for  the  chilling  winds  and  stormy 
tempests  of  life.  If  there  is  one  feeling,  above  all  others,  I 
would  implant  in  a  girl,  it  is  self-reliance,  particularly  if  I 
had  reason  to  think  her  path  in  life  would  be  single  and 
alone.  And  to  those  whose  faith  in  humanity  has  been 
shaken,  who  have  discovered  the  heartless  selfishness  that 
characterizes  the  generality  of  mankind,  woe,  woe  to  their 
sad  hearts.  Bleeding  and  sore,  may  their  feet  tread  the 
highway  of  life,  with  none  to  comfort  and  cheer.  Yet 
look  up,  sad  ones,  your  Father  in  heaven  counts  your  tears 
and  hears  your  every  sigh.  Angels  are  hovering  near,  and 
would  direct  your  thoughts  to  the  land  of  blessedness  above. 
Says  Miss  Beecher,  of  young  ladies,  after  completing  their 
school  education,  before  becoming  settled  in  life,  "  That  rest 
less  longing  for  excitement,  that  craving  for  unattainable  good, 
that  morbid  action  of  the  imagination,  that  dissatisfaction 
with  the  world,  that  fictitious  interest  in  trifles,  and  those 


WOMEN   WITHOUT  A   HOME.  223 

alternations  of  high  excitement  and  brooding  apathy  — 
these  are  the  secret  history  of  many  a  gifted,  and  highly 
cultivated  female  mind." 

The  fears,  uncertainties,  and  anxieties,  that  disturb  single 
women,  are  greater  than  those  of  married  women.  It  may 
be  that  they  have  not  greater  cause.  But  they  have  more 
time  to  yield  to  such  apprehensions.  Their  feelings  are 
generally  more  acute,  and  their  thoughts  more  centered  in 
self.  The  fear  of  not  being  provided  for  in  old  age  is 
one  source  of  disquietude  to  single  women.  If  such  would 
only  consider  how  many  women  marry  men  who  fail  in 
health,  or  lose  their  energies,  or  who  are  improvident,  and 
run  through  with  all  they  have,  without  the  business  ability 
to  replace  as  they  go  ;  that  many  women  marry  men  who 
prove  unkind,  trifling,  and  dissipated  —  who  do  nothing  to 
aid  their  wives  —  in  many  cases  are  supported  by  them, 
while  a  vast  number  become  widows,  and  must  support,  not 
only  themselves,  but  a  family  of  children,  we  think  the  fear 
might  quickly  give  way  to  the  consciousness  that  a  woman, 
with  time,  and  means  to  sustain  her,  may  fortify  herself 
against  this  difficulty,  by  acquiring  a  practical  knowledge  of 
some  pursuit  that  she  may,  if  necessary,  turn  to  account. 

Many  a  single  woman  becomes  an  auxiliary  to  a  family. 
There  are  many  ways  in  which  such  a  one  can  make  her 
self  useful.  A  woman  so  situated  needs  much  delicacy  and 
tact.  She  should  be  careful  not  to  offer  advice  unasked,  and 
not  to  assume  authority,  (unless  delegated,)  over  children 
and  servants. 

The  woman  who  is  cast  alone  and  unprotected  on  the 
world,  without  means,  or  a  home,  for  no  fault  of  her  own, 
has  a  claim  upon  Christian  men  and  women  to  provide  her 
with  a  respectable  home,  and  aid  her  in  obtaining  employ 
ment  by  which  to  earn  her  living.  But  it  is  a  lamentable  fact 
that  a  woman  so  situated  is  often  neglected  —  yea,  looked 
upon  suspiciously,  and  avoided,  even  by  those  men  and 
women  calling  themselves  Christians. 


224  DIFFERENT  STAGES   OF  SOCIETY. 


WOMEN   IN   DIFFERENT  STAGES  OF  SOCIETY. 

WOMEN  in  primitive  states  of  society,  cook,  tend  the 
flocks,  spin,  and  weave  cloth  for  garments  and  tents. 
Yet  they  enjoy  as  great  personal  freedom  as  those  in  more 
improved  conditions  of  society. 

When  women  are  cramped,  restrained,  and  oppressed, 
they  never  can  attain  a  full  development  of  their  mental  and 
moral  nature.  As  society  improves,  women  rise  in  rank, 
and  are  more  valued  for  their  mental  and  moral  powers. 
Consequently  they  become  cultivated.  A  corresponding 
change  takes  place  among  men,  but  the  change  among  men 
is  prior  to  that  of  women.  The  estimate  placed  upon  men 
and  women  ceases  to  be  proportioned  to  their  physical  force. 
The  body  sinks  in  significance  beneath  the  mind,  and  its 
attainments.  Woman  becomes  less  profitable  as  a  slave, 
but  a  more  entertaining  and  instructive  companion. 

In  a  country  where  a  free  expression  of  religious  and  po 
litical  opinions  is  prohibited,  where  the  energies  of  the  press 
are  unduly  curbed,  woman  must  suffer,  like  man,  the  bad 
effects.  Domestic  tyranny  will  follow  in  the  wake  of  civil 
and  religious  intolerance,  mind  will  be  fettered,  and  woman 
will  become  degraded.  That  strong  family  attachment 
which  springs  from  a  similarity  of  moral  sentiments,  or 
intellectual  companionship,  will  be  rarely  known. 

We  learn  from  the  writings  of  Solomon,  that  the  Hebrew 
women  under  the  early  monarchy,  transacted  business,  car 
ried  on  commercial  speculations,  and  performed  all  agencies 
in  which  forethought  and  judgment  were  necessary.  Such 
were  the  women  who  "  considered  a  field,  and  bought  it, 
and  planted  a  vineyard ;  who  made  fine  linen  and  sold  it, 
and  delivered  girdles  to  the  merchants  ;  who  purchased  wool 
and  flax,  and  worked  diligently  with  their  own  hands." 


MODERN  SOCIETY,  225 


MODERN    SOCIETY, 

«<  T~T  is  plain  that,  naturally,  woman  has  more  curiosity 
than  man  ;  that  she  is  more  imitative  and  more  com 
municative^  and  that  her  ambition  is  not  less.     In  her  pres 
ent  condition,  these  faculties,  demanding  of  their  possessor 
plenty  of  out-door  exercise,  are  employed  to  the  disadvan 
tage  of  society.     Now,  living  unnaturally,  she  keeps  whole 
communities   in  hot  water.      Her  eagerness   to   know,   her 
native  inquisitiveness,  leads  to  innumerable  troubles.      Her 
communicative  attribute  produces  domestic  turmoil.      This 
evil  results  from  the  misplacement  of  woman  in  the  mission 
of  life.     Woman  is  still  the  angel  of  poets,  the  drudge  of 
tyrants,  the  charm  of  home,  the  compound  mystery  of  phi- 
losophers,   the    necessary  evil   of  politicians,  the  flower  of 
society,  the  victim  of  masculine  patronage,  the  savior  of 
men,   and   the    terror  of  bachelors.      There    are   no    legal 
prohibitions  against  women  in  regard  to  education  or  pro 
fession  ;  but  there  is  a  despotism  to  which  universally  she 
is  a  slave,  namely,  the  despotism  of  public  opinion.     Public 
opinion  is  her  rule  of  faith  and  practice.     She  fails  to  draw 
a  line  of  demarcation   between   public  opinion  and   living 
principle.     It  is  opinion,  not  law,  that  keeps  woman  out 
of  pursuits  whereby  she  could  distinguish  herself  for  talent 
and  skill,  could  employ  those  mental  faculties  for  the  world's 
good  which  now  afflict  society,  and  could  procure  an  inde 
pendence  in  worldly  goods  —  elevating  her  above  the  neces 
sity  of  making  marriage  the  only  refuge  against  want.    The 
popular  structure  of  society  develops  four  distinct  types  of 
female  situations  —  the  fashionable  woman  and!  the  drudge 
woman,  the  nolle  housewife  and  the  abandoned  female" 
It  is  a  sad  fact,  that  in  all  stages  of  society,  even  the 
15 


226  MODERN  SOCIETY. 

most  enlightened,  the  pleasures  of  the  body  are  more  sought 
for,  and  enjoyed,  than  those  of  the  mind.  A  splendid  style 
of  living  is,  in  a  city  particularly,  the  ultimatum  of  most 
people's  aspirations.  In  that  way  talent  and  moral  worth 
are  often  overlooked,  and  forever  hid  in  obscurity,  unless 
some  fortunate  circumstance  brings  them  to  light. 

Fashionable  women  are  subject  to  extremes.  Pretty 
women  that  indulge  in  frippery  and  frivolity,  whose  thoughts 
are  of  themselves  only,  and  whose  great  delight  is  in  a  flir 
tation,  rarely  have  the  respect  of  sensible  men,  and  are  more 
rarely  sought  in  marriage  by  them.  Their  principal  admi 
rers  are  men  of  gallantry,  who  care  not  to  marry  at  all,  or 
if  they  do,  seek  a  woman  of  fortune,  or  a  fashionable  beauty, 
whose  charms  will  draw  about  the  husband  a  circle  of 
wealthy  people,  or  gay  society. 

Some  weak,  silly,  artful  women  are  as  amiable  as  an 
angel  before  those  they  wish  to  please  ;  as  pliant  as  a  willow- 
bough,  apparently,  yet  in  fact  bent  on  their  own  aims  and 
purposes  ;  as  obedient  as  a  child,  to  observation,  yet  as 
perverse  as  a  mule  in  reality ;  with  a  scrupulous  regard  to 
minor  proprieties,  but  a  total  disregard  to  correct  principles 
of  honor.  Sad  is  the  moral  history  of  such  a  woman,  and 
lamentable  her  teachings  ! 

Women  not  very  fashionable,  in  moderate  circumstances, 
are  much  cramped  by  the  restraints  of  society  v  They  are 
much  influenced  by  what  the  world  will  say  ;  they  depend 
not  enough  on  their  own  judgment  and  sense  of  propriety ; 
their  feelings  are  checked,  and  forced  back  upon  themselves 
—  they  are  not  permitted  to  gush  forth  freely,  and  without 
interruption  ;  their  thoughts  suffer  in  the  same  way.  Their 
motives  are  apt  to  be  misguided,  and  too  low  an  estimate 
placed  on  their  worth.  A  number  run  into  the  opposite 
extreme.  They  assume  a  haughty,  indifferent  manner, 
and  care  nothing  for  the  opinion  of  others ;  they  are  vain 
and  frivolous ;  pleasure-seeking  is  the  aim  of  their  exist 
ence  ;  they  are  subject  to  the  gossip  and  tattle  of  those  like 
themselves.  Women  would  not  be  so  shallow  and  sensi 
tive,  if  they  mixed  more  with  the  world  —  men  would  not 


MODERN  SOCIETY.  227 

treat  them  as  if  they  were  dolls,  but  more  as  if  they  were 
rational  beings. 

Of  woman  in  the  middle  classes  of  society  in  England, 
the  author  of  "Woman's  Industrial  and  Social  Position" 
writes,  "  Isolated  from  the  world,  a  stranger  to  the  other 
sex,  her  faculties  dulled  by  seclusion,  she  is  regarded  as  in 
capable  of  forming  a  judgment,  except  on  household  affairs, 
and  is  content  to  lead  the  life  of  an  upper  servant." 

Most  men  in  the  middle,  or  lower  walks  of  life,  like  to 
see  women  work,  but  not  to  enter  their  occupations,  unless 
it  be  their  wives,  sisters,  and  daughters,  who,  by  assisting 
in  their  specific  labor,  will  aid  them  in  making  money. 
Most  proud,  wealthy  men  do  not  object  to  women,  in  gen 
eral,  working,  nor  to  their  wives  and  sisters  engaging  in 
household  labor,  but  would  consider  it  a  disgrace  that  they 
should  work  for  money,  particularly  for  others.  Some 
cultivated  men  would  prefer  the  women  of  their  own 
families  devoting  themselves  exclusively  to  the  improve 
ment  of  their  minds,  to  the  acquisition  of  accomplishments, 
and  to  benevolent  works. 

Why  should  the  nature  of  a  woman's  education  and  train 
ing  differ  from  that  of  a  man's  ?  Does  she  not  require  as 
much  strength,  breadth,  discipline,  and  forethought  of  mind, 
to  fulfill  the  duties  of  life  ? 

Romanism  would  keep  women  in  ignorance.  Thereby 
the  priests  may  govern  the  women,  and  the  women  the  men. 
From  politic  motives,  the  priests  may  profess  to  advocate 
the  education  of  females  ;  but  what  is  that  education?  Is  it 
a  training  of  the  moral  and  mental  powers  ?  No  !  it  is 
needlework,  music,  drawing,  a  smattering  of  the  languages, 
and  other  showy  accomplishments. 

The  time  required  for  a  high  cultivation  of  mind  precludes 
the  attention  to  dress  of  a  fashionable  woman  without  for 
tune.  In  most  cases,  it  is  the  youth,  beauty,  and  vivacity 
of  a  woman,  in  the  higher  circles,  that  gain  her  the  title  of 
angel,  and  not  her  virtues,  or  superiority  of  mind. 

Many  people  float  too  much  on  the  surface.  They  do  not 
dive  into  the  facts  and  condition  of  every-day  life.  They 


228  MODERN  SOCIETY. 

attempt  display,  they  ape  gentility,  they  study  to  make  a 
show  before  the  world. 

In  New  York,  most  women  in  the  first,  second,  and  third 
class  hotels,  and  boarding-houses,  have  husbands  to  support 
them,  and  do  not  want  the  occupations  and  labors  of  a  pro 
fession.  Some  are  wealthy  single  women,  who  devote  part 
of  their  time  to  benevolent  works,  and  some  spend  their 
time  visiting,  reading  novels,  shopping,  and  in  all  the  trivial 
pastimes  of  fashionable  life  pertaining  to  a  city. 

Most  Americans  are  too  ambitious.  They  are  not  satis 
fied  with  what  they  possess  ;  they  continually  wish  for  more. 
Health  may  extend  her  beneficent  influence,  wealth  may 
lavish  her  richest  gifts,  friends  may  surround,  and  honor 
crown  their  course  ;  hope  may  gleam  with  its  brilliant  light, 
to  cheer  their  pathway,  but  still  some  wish  is  ungratified. 
On  the  contrary,  others  are  racked  by  pain,  and  distressed 
in  mind,  the  present  darkened  by  affliction,  and  the  future 
yet  darker  ;  honor  departs,  wealth  vanishes,  friends  forsake, 
yet  their  subjects  desire  not  to  exchange  places  with  others. 
They  humbly  submit,  and  look  with  pious  resignation  to 
their  heavenly  Father,  as  the  author  of  their  afflictions, 
and  yet  the  all-wise  God. 

We  have  heard  some  ladies  say  they  would  prefer  being 
waited  on  in  a  store  by  men  —  they  did  not  like  saleswomen. 
But  they  were  probably  exceptions  ;  or  might  it  not  have 
been  that  those  ladies  asked  to  see  more  goods,  occupied 
more  time,  in  short,  were  themselves  more  troublesome, 
and  expected  more  attention,  than  if  they  had  been  claim 
ing  it  at  the  hands  of  some  of  the  opposite  sex?  Or  is  it 
that  such  women  like  the  gossip  and  effeminacy  of  most 
dry  goods  salesmen?  We  have  reason  to  think  shop-women 
are  generally  as  obliging  as  men  in  the  same  capacity,  and 
have  as  much  genuine  politeness.  Besides,  they  are  quite 
as  truthful  and  conscientious. 

As  society  is  artificial,  so  must  domestic  life  partake  of 
the  same  character.  A  higher,  nobler  existence  should  be 
sought.  The  problem  of  domestic  and  social  reform  is  a 
difficult  one  to  solve.  It  requires  fresh  and  vigorous  thought, 


MODERN  SOCIETY.  229 

moral  courage,  aiid  independence  of  action.  Many  a  strug 
gle  is  made  at  the  expense  of  principle  to  climb  the  ladder 
of  fame,  wealth,  or  position. 

The  claim  that  a  person  of  wealth  or  talents  has  to  the 
admiration  of  others  depends  on  the  use  to  which  said  wealth 
or  talents  are  put,  whether  to  a  selfish  or  benevolent  one. 
A  man  may  deserve  credit  for  the  application  to  business 
and  enterprise  which  has  accumulated  property  ;  but,  aside 
from  this,  his  wealth  should  have  no  weight  in  determining 
the  place  he  should  hold  in  the  estimation  of  others. 

Says  Madame  de  Hericourt,*  "  The  progress  hitherto 
made  by  humanity  is  that  love  has  now  for  its  end  the  per 
petuation  of  the  species,  the  modification  of  man  by  woman, 
and  the  production  of  labor.  In  a  higher  ideal  of  justice, 
the  sexes  being  equal  in  rights,  love  will  have  a  higher  end  ; 
the  spouses  will  unite  on  account  of  conformity  of  princi 
ples,  union  of  hearts,  wedding  of  intellects,  common  labor. 
Love  will  join  them  to  double  their  strength,  to  modify 
them  by  each  other.  From  the  friction  of  their  hearts 
will  be  struck  out  sentiments  which  neither  would  have 
had  alone  ;  fro-m  the  union  of  their  intellects  will  be  born 
thoughts  which  neither  would  have  had  alone  ;  from  the 
aid  that  they  will  lend  to  each  other,  in  their  common 
labor,  will  proceed  works  that  neither  would  have  accom 
plished  alone,  as  from  the  union  of  their  whole  being  will 
be  born  new  generations  more  perfect  than  the  preceding, 
because  they  will  be  the  product  of  the  greatest  possible 
harmony." 

*  "  A  Woman's  Philosophy  of  Woman"  should  be  read  by  every 
lady  physician. 


230  MATRIMONIAL   EXPECTATIONS. 


GIHLS   HAtSED  WITH  THE    EXPECTATION  OF 
MARRYING* 

TOO  many  girls  are  educated  with  a  view  to  married 
life.  We  are  sorry  that  so  many  mothers  who  raise 
their  daughters  intending  them  to  marry,  do  not  fit  them  for 
married  life,  by  forming  in  them  active  and  industrious 
habits*  But  I  would  ask  why  girls  should  be  educated  to 
be  wives  more  than  industrial  workers?  Why  be  impressed 
with  views  that  may  not  be  realized?  The  present  educa 
tion  of  girls  has  a  tendency  to  make  them  desire  the  ad 
miration  of  the  indiscriminate  many,  rather  than  the  esteem 
of  a  few  superior  peoplei  A  great  desire  in  a  woman  for 
the  admiration  of  men,  produces  an  indifference  to  the  opin 
ions  arid  interests  of  her  own  sex.  She  cares  not  whether 
she  is  interesting  to  women,  or  beloved  by  them.  How  sad 
the  history  of  such  a  one,  if  she  fails  to  secure  the  love  of 
any  man  whom  she  admires,  or  if  she  fails  to  realize  her 
extravagant  matrimonial  expectations  !  She  will  feel  that 
her  hopes  have  proved  "  the  baseless  fabric  of  a  vision  that 
leaves  not  a  trace  behind."  To  one  of  strong  feelings  it  is 
a  death-knell  to  happiness.  One  of  a  light,  changeable 
nature,  may  laugh  off  her  disappointment,  with  the  other 
(to  her)  trifles  of  life. 

Even  if  certain  that  a  majority  of  the  girls  being  educated 
were  to  be  wives,  it  would  not  be  an  easy  task  to  direct  their 
studies  with  that  in  view.  Suppose  a  girl  with  a  fondness 
for  scientific  pursuits  married  a  learned  man.  It  might  be 
agreeable  to  him  to  have  her  continue  the  pursuit  of  such 
studies,  or  it  might  be  altogether  distasteful.  If  she  mar 
ried  one  with  a  plain  education,  he  might,  or  he  might  not, 
desire  to  see  his  wife  devote  her  time  to  the  cultivation  of 
her  mind.  Or  even  admitting  his  willingness,  she  might 


MATRIMONIAL  EXPECTATIONS.  231 

find  her  time  otherwise  so  occupied,  that  she  could  not  spare 
enough  for  that  purpose.  If  her  husband  is  a  man  that 
desires  her  to  continue  to  cultivate  her  mind,  and  is  able  to 
afford  her  the  means  of  doing  so,  she  will  be  much  favored. 
Marriage  in  the  higher  circles  of  society  has  become,  we 
fear,  more  a  human  than  a  divine  institution.  Many  young 
ladies,  whose  parents  are  wealthy,  know  little  else  than  ho\v 
to  spend  money.  When  they  marry  they  become  in  many 
cases  burdens  to  their  husbands,  instead  of  assistants,  and 
in  time  bring  bankruptcy  and  ruin  upon  their  families. 

We  would  not  for  a  moment  make  the  relations  of  life 
less  dear,  or  take  from  a  virtuous  home  that  holy  sanctity 
which  it  deserves,  Nor  would  we  disincline  those  of  our 
sex  who  would  seek  for  usefulness  and  enjoyment  in  the 
domestic  relationship  of  life.  But  we  would  love  to  see 
marriage  regarded  as  the  pure  and  holy  sacrament  it  is,  and 
entered  into  from  unselfish  motives,  prompted  by  love  alone. 
When  a  marriage  is  founded  on  right  principles,  and  con-? 
genial  tastes  and  opinions,  with  the  exercise  of  patience  and 
forbearance,  it  is  the  most  contented  condition  in  life.  TQ 
marry  badly  is  far  worse  than  not  to  marry  at  all.  What 
discord  arises  from  an  uncongenial  alliance,  what  constant 
jarring,  what  discontent,  what  disorder  of  mind,  wretched-* 
ness,  and,  eventually,  idiocy,  or  insanity,  and  death  !  To  the 
parties,  the  present  is  gloomy,  the  future  hopeless,  Not  only 
is  the  welfare  of  the  parties  sacrificed  in  this  world  by  it,  but 
their  interest  in  a  better  one  jeopardized.  Besides,  what  a 
wreck  to  the  happiness  of  the  offspring  of  such  a  marriage  1 
Marriage  where  one,  or  both,  of  the  parties  is  deformed, 
or  defective  in  mind,  morals,  or  physique,  should  be  prohibv 
ited  by  legislation.  So  should  the  marriage  of  those  closely 
allied  by  relationship,  Our  asylums,  for  the  insane,  and 
demented,  are  a  sad  testimony  to  the  recklessness  of  public 
opinion,  and  public  action,  on  this  subject. 

Most  marriages  take  place  in  times  of  peace  and  national 
prosperity.  Cheerfulness  and  hope  tend  to  produce  love  and 
marriage.  Warm,  genial  seasons  also  have  their  influence, 
A  low,  or  moderate  price  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  is  also 


232  MATRIMONIAL   EXPECTATIONS. 

conducive  to  marriage ;  likewise  an  increase  of  income. 
Fashion,  too,  has  an  influence  in  increasing,  or  diminishing, 
the  number  of  marriages. 

Some  women  marry  for  a  position  in  society,  but  the  ma 
jority  of  women  probably  marry  to  be  with  those  they  love. 
The  influences  are  perhaps  more  varied  that  lead  men  to 
marry  than  women.  Some  men  marry  that  they  may  have 
a  comfortable  home  —  some  that  they  may  receive  more 
respect  as  members  of  society  —  some  because  they  are  lone 
ly,  and  want  companionship  —  some  from  affection,  and  some 
from  passion  —  some  for  wealth  —  some  because  they  think 
it  a  duty  —  some  from  one  cause,  and  some  from  another. 

"  In  some  countries  women  enter  into  matrimony  more 
readily  than  men,  even  where  their  affections  are  not  con 
cerned.  The  reasons  are  obvious.  Women  are  more  re 
strained  by  the  laws  and  usages  of  society,  than  men,  and 
the  scope  of  their  ambition  is  much  more  limited.  Though 
marriage  subjects  them  to  many  cares  and  privations,  it  gives 
them,  in  some  respects,  a  greater  degree  of  freedom  and  con 
sideration  ;  it  likewise  generally  insures  protection  and  sup 
port,  and  is  almost  the  only  way  in  which  a  woman  can  rise 
above  her  natural  condition,  with  regard  to  wealth  and  rank." 

Many  a  woman  is  tempted  by  her  low  wages  to  marry 
for  a  home.  If  a  woman  marries  advantageously  from 
proper  motives,  it  is  well,  but  if  because  she  wants  self- 
dependence  in  earning  a  livelihood,  we  fear  it  may  be  her  lot 
to  earn  one  when  she  has  a  family.  It  is  often  the  case. 

We  fear  the  extravagant  habits  of  some  of  our  young 
ladies  may  do  something  to  retard  their  matrimonial  ad 
vancement.  At  one  time,  in  Germany,  so  few  ladies  were 
solicited  in  marriage  that  the  mothers  got  together,  dis 
cussed  the  subject,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
caused  by  their  extravagant  style  of  living  and  dressing. 
They  made  an  agreement,  and  carried  it  out,  that  they,  and 
their  households,  would  retrench  their  expenses,  as  young 
rneu  were  frightened  at  the  expenditure  requisite  to  keep  up 
an  establishment,  many  of  them  being  conscious  their  means 
would  not  permit  it.  As  was  expected  —  a  change  —  a 


MATRIMONIAL   EXPECTATIONS.  233 

favorable  change,  in  the  matrimonial  line,  was  the  result. 
Indeed  we  think  were  a  less  tenacious  hold  made  of  fashion, 
less  money  spent,  and  more  taste  exercised  on  dress,  most 
ladies  would  be  better  satisfied  with  themselves  and  their 
purses,  The  efforts  made,  by  some  mothers  of  the  higher 
classes  in  England,  to  marry  off  their  daughters,  are  ludi 
crously  set  forth,  in  the  article  styled  Pigeons  in  "  Modern 
Women," 

Few  women  like  to  receive  all,  and  give  nothing.  Con 
sequently  such  wish  to  be  prepared  at  the  time  of  marriage 
for  helping  to  bear  the  burden  of  life.  A  girl  is  as  unfitted 
for  the  duties  of  a  housekeeper,  without  some  preparation, 
as  a  man  pursuing  a  business  that  he  has  not  learned.  la 
addition  to  a  knowledge  of  housekeeping,  we  would  again 
recommend  to  women  a  practical  acquaintance  with  a  regu 
lar  occupation.  A  man  will  then  have  this  capital  in  addi 
tion  to  his  wife,  and  she  will,  no  doubt,  cheerfully  bring  it 
into  requisition,  in  case  unforeseen  changes  call  for  it.  Not 
that  we  would  suppose  men  so  mercenary  as  to  seek  in  a  wife 
such  capital ;  yet  it  is  not  to  be  ignored,  on  the  same  ground 
that  a  snug  little  fortune  is  not  objectionable  to  lay  by  for  con 
tingencies,  although  the  present  occupation  yields  sufficient 
income  for  present  wants.  Many  women  will  revolt  at  the 
idea  here  thrown  out.  To  such  we  would  say,  Acquire  the 
capital  referred  to  • —  an  occupation  —  for  your  own  personal 
good,  in  case  your  husband  dies,  or  fails  in  business.  The 
presence  of  mind,  activity,  and  practical  knowledge  ac 
quired,  will  be  invaluable. 

Some  women  impress  upon  their  daughters  the  idea  that 
the  end  and  aim  of  their  existence  is  to  secure  an  advan 
tageous  marriage.  Jn  it  must  center  all  their  efforts  and 
attainments.  The  principle  is  deleterious.  Silly  girls,  whose 
minds  are  filled  with  the  thought  that  they  are  some  day  to 
lay  aside  their  books,  and  as  a  matter  of  course  marry, 
become  frivolous  and  trifling  in  their  manners,  and  talk,  and 
fritter  away  their  minds.  The  very  fact  that  they  look  for 
ward  to  marriage  as  the  only  aim  in  life,  must  have  a  ten 
dency  to  preclude  them  from  undertaking  any  definite  pur 
suit,  and  from  acquiring  that  strength  and  elevated  tone  of 


234  MATRIMONIAL   EXPECTATION'S. 

character,  so  essential  to  success  iu  any  great  undertaking. 
It  creates  a  feeling  of  anxiety  and  uncertainty,  not  favorable 
either  to  useful  reflection  or  action.  It  checks  independence 
of  thought  and  expression  ;  it  mars  purity  and  integrity  of 
character.  It  causes  some  women  to  marry  those  not  con 
genial,  and  as  a  consequence,  domestic  discord  follows,  with 
its  ten  thousand  attendant  evils  and  sorrows. 

Unless  a  woman  has  an  occupation,  or  some  property,  her 
chances  for  marriage  are  not  great,  because  there  are  more 
marriageable  women  than  men,  and  a  great  many  men  never 
marry.  A  middle-aged  woman  is  rarely  sought  in  marriage 
by  a  man  of  means,  unless  she  has  some  property,  or  the 
practical  knowledge  of  a  pursuit.  With  some  women  the 
chance  lies  open,  so  far  as  they  can  see,  to  live  single  and 
work,  or  marry  a  man  that  they  may  have  to  support,  and 
live  wretchedly  with.  They  had  better  marry  plain,  indus 
trious,  honest,  moral  farmers,  than  salesmen,  with  little  to 
recommend  them  but  their  lily-white  hands  and  fair  speech. 

Marriage  makes  no  difference  with  a  man's  business.  He 
goes  on  with  it  just  the  same  as  before.  It  is  different  with 
a  woman.  It  interferes  sadly  with  her  business.  In  fact, 
the  very  nature  of  her  occupation  is  changed. 

Many  young  women  marry  before  their  constitutions  be 
come  firm  and  well  settled.  It  is  sad  to  see  a  woman,  just  at 
the  age  when  she  is  most  capable  of  enjoying  life,  have  her 
mind  dwarfed,  and  her  character  belittled,  with  the  petty 
details  of  housekeeping.  Is  it  not  better  for  young  ladies, 
when  they  leave  school,  to  spend  a  few  years  in  the  inno 
cent  amusements,  and  improving  studies,  that  impressible 
and  cultivated  rninds  enjoy,  and  so  gain  strength  for  the 
performance  of  heavier  duties?  It  will  give  time  for  the 
character  to  develop,  the  mind  to  mature.  A  woman  will 
not  then  be  so  likely  to  marry  a  man  without  business  hab 
its,  or  who  is  trifling,  and  dissipated.  How  often  it  is  that 
parents  die,  money  becomes  exhausted,  the  husband  dissi 
pated,  and  without  any  prospect  of  earning  a  decent  sup 
port  for  herself  the  heart-broken  wife  is  soon  laid  in  her 
cold,  cheerless  grave.  Or  perhaps  a  woman  marries  well, 
but  her  husband  suffers  a  reverse  of  fortune,  and  dies.  She 


MATRIMONIAL  EXPECTATIONS.  235 

is  left  a  widow  with  small  children  to  support.  Her  educa 
tion  has  been  neglected,  and  she  cannot  teach.  The  needle 
offers  a  precarious  subsistence,  and  toiling,  and  struggling, 
she  lives  on  a  prey  to  care,  and  anxiety,  and  dread,  until 
exhausted  nature  gives  way,  and  she  is  counted  among  the 
dead.  Or  perhaps  she  becomes  an  auxiliary  to  a  family 
where  she  is  considered  a  burden,  or  where  there  are  not 
peace,  and  love,  and  harmony  —  where  she  has  the  cares, 
and  not  the  comforts,  of  a  home.  There  she  is  discontented, 
and  her  dependence  makes  her  more  so.  Or,  it  may  be,  she 
enters  a  kind,  agreeable  family,  that  love  her  as  a  friend, 
and  prize  her  as  one  of  their  own.  There  she  may  become 
a  useful  and  agreeable  acquisition  to  the  family,  and  be  hap 
py  in  her  adopted  home.  She  may  care  for  the  children, 
attend  on  the  family  when  sick,  be  a  companion  for  the  wife, 
and  enliven  the  leisure  hours  of  the  husband  by  social  in 
tercourse.  In  such  a  home,  under  such  circumstances,  the 
ease  and  freedom  of  a  single,  or  widowed  life,  can  be  en 
joyed,  while  the  heart  is  warmed  by  friendship. 

Employers  have  told  me  that  they  can  rarely  get  women 
to  learn  a  trade  that  requires  much  time,  and  they  do  not 
learn  so  thoroughly  what  they  undertake,  and  are  not  so  in 
dustrious  and  efficient  as  men,  because  they  look  forward  to 
marriage,  and  to  laying  aside  their  trade  when  married. 
We  do  not  know  to  what  extent  this  is  a  fact,  but  we  are  in 
clined  to  think  that  women,  who  are  careless  and  inefficient 
in  business,  would  be  so  in  household  duties.  That  they 
pursue  their  vocation  merely  as  an  expedient,  does  not,  in 
our  opinion,  justify  a  neglect  to  acquire  proficiency,  or  work 
industriously,  and  conscientiously.  We  have  been  told  by 
employers  that  the  most  skillful,  efficient,  and  industrious 
workwomen  are  always  the  first  married. 

The  reproach  some  men  cast  on  old  maids,  as  they  are 
pleased  to  term  them,  arises  from  a  dread  of  seeing  women 
independent  of  men.  Most  of  such  men  would  rather  see 
dependent  women  become  prostitutes  than  direct  them  how 
to  earn  an  honest  livelihood.  In  the  eyes  of  such  men  a 
single  woman  who  has  passed  the  flower  of  youth  is  odious. 
Her  virtue,  intelligence,  and  usefulness  pass  for  nothing. 


23G  FRIVOLITIES   OF  THE    YOUNG. 


FRIVOLITIES   OF  THE  YOUNG. 

THOUGHTLESSNESS  is  a  common  fault  with  many 
young  people,  particularly  with  those  who  have  been 
much  indulged,  and  had  no  great  sorrow. 

Dress  and  fashion  usually  occupy  too  much  time  with 
young  ladies.  Their  constitutions  become  enfeebled  —  and 
is  it  strange?  The  hours  that  should  be  given  to  balmy 
sleep  are  passed  in  a  routine  of  gay  amusements.  Frivolity 
is  almost  a  characteristic  of  the  minds  of  fashionable  women. 
Many  are  as  destitute  of  stability  as  froth,  as  unstable  as 
water,  and  their  thoughts  like  the  mountain  mist.  They 
lack  strength  and  discipline. 

The  mere  negative  existence  of  most  young  ladies  in  our 
cities  may  be  attributed  to  circumstances.  These  are  cus 
tom,  and  the  out-door  sameness  of  scene,  with  late  hours, 
and  irregular  meals.  If  my  young  friends  would  consider 
the  number  of  souls  around  them  sinking  into  perdition,  the 
number  of  sick  and  suffering  bodies  that  require  attention, 
the  desolate  and  homeless  ones  that  need  comfort  and  pro 
tection,  surely  they  would  not  complain  that  time  passes 
slowly,  that  it  hangs  heavily  on  their  hands.  The  mere 
calls  of  suffering  humanity  forbid  a  waste  of  time. 

Some  people,  in  years  past,  objected  to  the  cultivation  of 
a  taste  for  music,  on  the  ground  that  it  enlivens  the  sensi 
bilities  of  woman,  and  deepens  her  passions.  Such  objec 
tions  are  rarely  made  now,  as  the  fashion  of  the  day  has 
rendered  music  an  almost  indispensable  accomplishment. 
The  effect  produced  in  young  people  by  hearing  great  ad 
miration  expressed  of  foreigners,  particularly  public  singers 
and  performers,  is  very  pernicious.  The  airs  they  assume, 
their  affected  manners,  and  artificial  graces,  are  imitated. 
And  why  should  they  not  be,  if  they  are  worthy  of  admira 
tion?  But  can  they  be  admired  by  those  of  a  strong,  ele 
vated  nature? 


FRIVOLITIES   OF  THE    YOUNG.  237 

I  wish  to  see  my  sex  honored,  not  merely  because  they 
are  women,  but  because  they  have  minds  and  hearts  of  such 
cultivation  and  goodness  as  must  entitle  them  to  honor  and 
respect. 

The  influence  of  mind  over  mind  is  for  eternity,  as  well 
as  time.  There  is  no  influence,  short  of  God's,  equal  to  it. 
The  murder  of  Time  is  beautifully  portrayed  by  Miss 
Muloch,  on  page  17  of  her  "Woman's  Thoughts  about 
Women." 

Things  that  appear  trivial  in  the  eyes  of  God  may  to  us 
seem  very  important,  and  such  as  are  trivial  to  us  may  to 
the  Almighty  be  very  important.  He  does  not  see  as  we  do. 
Some  young  people  are  filled  with  a  yearning  desire  to 
see  and  know  whatever  is  useful  and  valuable.  They  are 
capable  of  the  most  exquisite  delight  from  the  sight  of  a 
beautiful  object,  from  reading  a  fine  poem,  from  learning 
some  useful  fact,  from  enjoying  the  society  of  a  friend. 

To  those  young  ladies  who  would  have  their  pastime 
profitable,  as  well  as  pleasant,  and  are  fond  of  flowers,  I 
would  suggest  experiments  to  be  made  by  them  in  the  kinds 
of  soil  adapted  to  various  plants,  the  amount  of  water,  light, 
and  heat  they  require,  and  their  organization,  as  discovered 
by  the  microscope.  To  those  fond  of  animal  life,  an  inviting 
field  might  offer  itself  in  an  examination  of  the  habits  of 
insects  and  worms,  their  constitution,  modes  of  living,  &c. 
Those  to  whom  minerals  afford  an  interest,  would  find  an 
engrossing  study  in  their  structures,  forms,  localities,  and 
characters.  Atmospheric  and  meteorological  investigations 
might  be  made  by  women,  and  prove  profitable  contribu 
tions  to  science. 

It  is  said  that  nothing  is  more  absorbing  than  the  exercise 
of  a  talent  for  writing,  to  such  as  write  from  the  love  of  it  — 
because  they  feel  impelled  by  an  onward  something — je  ne 
sais  quoi  —  to  do  so.  All  else  is  forgotten,  lost  to  sight. 
The  excitement  attending  it  is  very  great,  dangerously  so, 
if  indulged  in  to  excess.  To  such  we  recommend  the 
pastime,  but,  at  the  same  time,  for  health's  sake,  urge 
moderation. 


238  REMARKS  TO  PARENTS, 


REMARKS   TO  PARENTS. 

MANY  people  are  incapable  of  rightly  discharging  the 
solemn  obligations  and  responsibilities  of  married 
life.  Some  cannot  appreciate  its  duties,  some  are  unfitted 
by  bad  health,  some  by  want  of  moral  qualities,  and  many 
others  are  mentally  incapacitated. 

It  is  not  unfrequently  the  case  that  we  see  a  woman,  who 
has  by  her  own  industry  and  perseverance  earned  a  liveli 
hood,  marry  a  man  in  moderate  circumstances.  Both  toil 
and  save,  that  they  may  bring  up  their  children  respectably. 
The  sons  are  spared  all  the  labor  possible,  or  else  toil  and 
strive  to  dress  their  sisters  handsomely.  And  as  for  the 
girls  —  bless  me  !  — -  they  dress  like  queens,  and  show  off 
the  expensive  accomplishments  they  have  acquired.  Their 
hands  are  kept  gloved,  and  tenderly  cared  for,  until  they  vie 
with  the  snow-flake  in  whiteness.  Their  days  are  spent  in, 
shopping,  calling,  reading  novels,  and  keeping  in  practice 
tjieir  cosily  and  superficial  acquirements,  As  to  obtaining 
a  knowledge  of  some  employment  by  which  they  may  sup 
port  themselves  (as  their  mothers  did),  if  it  became  neces 
sary,  they  would  scorn  the  mention  of  it.  They  would 
consider  it  beneath  their  dignity. 

Mrs.  Graves  writes,  in  her  "  Woman  in  America,"  "  As 
soon  as  children  are  of  sufficient  age  to  minister  to  the  wants 
of  their  parents,  they  should  be  required  to  do  so,  These 
services  should  always  be  proportioned  to  their  years  and 
their  strength  ;  but  when  time  has  at  length  brought  their 
powers  to  maturity,  the  father  and  mother  should  then  re 
tire  from  laborious  duty  to  tl;e  undisturbed  quiet  and  repose 
of  their  firesides,  and  leave  their  sons  to  provide  for  their 
necessities,  and  their  daughters  to  take  upon  themselves  the 


REMARKS   TO  PARENTS.  239 

burden  of  household  management.  It  is  a  fatal  mistake  in 
parents  to  continue,  throughout  their  lives,  to  be  the  minis 
tering  servants  of  their  offspring,  Fathers  should  be  the 
patriarchal  sovereigns,  and  mothers  the  queens  of  their 
households ;  and  every  child  should  be  so  trained  as  to 
yield  them  the  willing  homage  of  attention  and  respect, 
no  less  than  of  affection.  And  they  who  abdicate  the 
throne  legitimately  belonging  to  them,  either  through  neg 
lect  or  weak  indulgence,  will  find,  in  their  old  age,  that 
there  will  be  none  to  rise  up  and  do  them  reverence.'* 

A  family  isolated  from  relatives  and  connections,  labors 
under  many  difficulties^  particularly  if  the  family  is  not  a 
happy  and  united  one. 

Parents,  give  your  children  a  comfortable  home,  where 
they  may  have  a  good  influence  and  example.  What  is 
fame  or  wealth,  without  the  pleasures  of  a  happy  home, 
whose  inmates  respect,  love,  and  have  confidence  in  each 
other?  It  is  a  bubble,  a  passing  sunbeam.  It  cannot  give 
substantial  comfort. 

Teach  your  children,  by  example,  as  well  as  by  precept, 
to  be  good  and  useful.  An  influence,  an  example,  may 
change  the  entire  destinies  of  a  child  — and  of  all  influences 
and  examples  that  of  the  parent  is  the  greatest.  Teach 
your  children  to  sacrifice  their  selfish  desires  in  the  effort 
to  make  others  happy.  When  selfishness  reigns  in  a  family, 
is  the  governing  principle,  there  must  be  envy,  discord, 
hatred,  and  injustice.  Selfishness  and  injustice  are  at  the 
bottom  of  nearly,  or  quite,  all  family  feuds.  It  is  a  parent's 
duty  to  check  selfishness,  petulance,  and  self-will,  when  first 
they  display  themselves  in  a  child.  Where  love  reigns  there 
will  be  self-denial,  forbearance,  kindness,  and  harmony. 

Encourage  pure  and  elevated  conversation  ;  make  com 
panions  of  your  children  ;  encourage  inquiry,  and  originate 
thought  —  the  warm,  impressive  mind  of  youth  receives 
ideas  as  "readily  as  the  earth  absorbs  water.  Read  with 
your  children,  and  talk  to  them  ;  encourage  in  them  freedom 
of  speech  ;  to  the  best  of  your  judgment,  select  proper  books 
for  their  reading ;  put  them  under  the  influence  of  good 


240  REMARKS   TO  PARENTS. 

people ;  never  permit  discontented,  fault-finding,  quarrel 
some  persons  to  make  a  home  in  your  family  —  they  will 
sow  seed  of  the  same  nature  in  your  children,  which  will 
ripen  into  poisonous  fruit  ere  you  are  aware.  The  forming 
of  an  amiable  disposition  in  children  cannot  be  commenced 
too  early ;  but  the  culture  of  the  judgment  should  begin  as 
early,  and  be  as  carefully  pursued.  Then  may  the  affections 
and  passions  be  subdued,  and  moderated,  and  regulated  by 
the  exercise  of  reason.  One  stronghold  the  Roman  Catho 
lics  are  gaining  upon  Protestants  is  through  the  influence  of 
teachers  and  nurses  of  their  own  persuasion.  It  is  a  vast 
opening  for  their  influence  and  power,  in  forming  the  reli 
gious  predilections  of  youth*  Refine  the  feelings  and  elevate 
the  tastes  of  your  children.  Talk  not  too  much  of  what 
they  must  eat,  and  drink,  and  wear,  and  yet  enough  to 
make  them  feel  life  is  real.  It  is  well  for  children  to  learn 
early  to  keep  an  account  of  their  expenses.  It  accustoms 
them  to  figures,  and  often  proves  an  economizer.  Many 
poor  parents  might  bind  their  children  out  to  Western 
farmers,  who  would  raise  them  to  industrious  habits,  and 
teach  them  to  work.  If  placed  in  proper  families,  their 
minds,  morals,  and  manners  would  also  be  cared  for.  Al 
ready  has  this  plan  been  carried  into  effect  quite  extensively 
by  the  Five  Points  Mission  of  New  York. 

A  kind  but  firm  control  needs  to  be  judiciously  exercised 
by  parents.  A  mother  is  likely  to  be  too  tender  with  her 
children,  a  father  too  severe.  Subdue  the  temper,  so  far 
as  you  can,  of  your  children  by  kindness  —  when  you  can 
not  in  that  way,  use  the  rod.  The  want  of  subordination 
in  American  children  has  been  loudly  cried  against  by  both 
foreign  and  American  writers.  Seek  for  your  children  asso 
ciates  that  will  make  them  better,  not  worse.  Children  re 
quire  companionship.  It  is  natural  to  them,  and  should  be 
encouraged ;  but  great  care  should  be  taken  in  guiding  the 
selection  of  associates.  Fit  your  children  for  active  and 
pleasant  pursuits.  We  beseech  you,  by  the  interest  you 
feel  in  your  daughters,  to  give  them  industrious  habits,  and 
the  knowledge  of  an  employment  which  they  may  profitably 


REMARKS   TO   PARENTS.  241 

use,  should  they  ever  have  occasion  to  do  so.  Your  daugh 
ters  have  by  nature  as  good  a  right  to  seek  and  follow  an 
occupation,  if  they  desire  it,  as  your  sons.  I  want  to  see 
the  individuality  of  women  more  brought  out.  I  want  to 
see  their  personal  characteristics  and  attainments  more  dis 
tinctly  defined.  They  have  by  nature  as  distinct  latent 
powers  as  men  ;  but  these  powers  are  not  developed.  As 
R  general  thing,  the  studies  they  pursue,  the  tastes  they 
cultivate,  the  style  of  dress,  manners,  and  conversation  they 
assume,  are  almost  exactly  the  same.  What  a  loss  to 
society,  what  a  failure  in  the  economy  of  Nature,  what  a 
mystery  in  the  plans  of  the  Almighty,  that  parents  are  at 
the  trouble  and  expense  of  raising  and  educating  daughters, 
to  be  of  no  use  in  the  world  to  themselves,  or  anybody  else 
—  ay,  even  worse,  to  fret,  and  murmur,,  and  render  un 
happy  themselves,  and  all  about  them  !  "  To  give  educa 
tion  without  giving  an  object,  is  but  to  strengthen  the  wings 
of  a  caged  bird."  The  minds  of  most  children,  girls  par 
ticularly,  are  not  turned  to  the  future  in  a  business  way  — 
that  is,  their  attention  is  not  called  at  home,  nor  school,  to 
what  occupation  they  shall  fit  themselves  for.  It  is  a  great 
oversight  on  tiie  part  of  parents.  The  future  is  before  them, 
and  none  can  say  what  it  may  be.  Women's  physical  wants 
are  as  great  as  those  of  men,  and  it  requires  as  much  to 
meet  them  ;  and  that  much  must  be  paid  for  as  dearly, 
though  women  are  not  paid  half  as  well  for  their  services. 
If  parents  do  not  provide  their  daughters  with  the  ability  to 
meet  those  wants  honorably,  by  their  exertions,  they  deserve 
the  disgrace  that,  in  many  cases,  will  come  upon  them,  as 
the  authors  of  their  own  children's  ruin.  That  women  are 
endowed  with  the  same  faculties  as  men,  and  equal  in  every 
respect,  is  proof  positive  that  they  need,  and  should  have, 
the  same  range  lor  the  development  and  use  of  those  facul 
ties,  and  that  they  should  yield  them  the  same  privileges 
and  profits. 

I  think  it  would  be  better  if  the  prejudice  against  indus 
trial    luboiers   was   done   away   at  our  public  schools,   the 
majority  of  whose  male  pupils  become  mechanics.    It  would 
16 


242  REMARKS   TO   PARENTS. 

familiarize  them  to  the  prospect,  and  increase  their  facilities 
for  gaining  information  on  the  vocation  they  select.  The 
remark  will  apply  also  to  girls,  who  might  have  in  view 
maintaining  themselves  as  compositors*  type^rubbers,  fruit- 
raisers,  poulterers,  &c«  Stimulate  your  children  to  constant 
and  untiring  exertion,  to  principles  of  honor,  to  acts  of  vir- 
tuej  and  worthy  pursuits.  Animate  them  in  their  search 
for  truth  and  knowledge,  until  their  countenances  are 
lighted  with  the  glow  from  virtuous  principles  and  exten 
sive  knowledge.  The  seed  of  parents'  sowing  must  sooner 
or  later  mature,  and  bring  forth  either  good  or  evil  fruit. 
Children  are  being  molded  by  their  parents'  hands  ;  they 
can  make  them  good  members  of  society,  patriots,  and  phi 
losophers,  or  raise  them  to  be  curses  to  themselves  and  their 
race  —  debased  and  vicious  outcasts.  The  children  of  un 
educated  parents  are  rarely  taught  to  use  their  faculties 
fully  and  efficiently.  This  accounts  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  stupidity  existing— -  this,  with  idleness  and  natural 
listlessness,  induced  by  the  mental  torpor  of  the  children's 
ancestors,  for  generations  past.  We  have  seen  it  stated 
that  "  a  crowd  of  persons,  of  both  sexes,  have  less  intelii*- 
gence  at  thirty  than  at  fifteen  years  of  agek  They  have 
seen  more  things,  and  know  less  of  them  ;  they  reason 
higher,  but  they  reason  less  justly;  By  increasing  physi 
cally,  they  have  decreased  morally  ;  intuition  has  declined 
in  them,  and  has  turned  to  purely  bestial  instinct*  It  is  the 
fault  of  man,  and  his  gross  habits,  and  bad  government." 
And  here  the  question  arises,  Why  should  weak-minded, 
unprincipled,  or  brutish  people  be  permitted  to  marry,  aud 
bring  into  the  world  children  to  suffer  misery,  vice,  disease) 
idiocy,  and  insanity?  Why  should  such  people  be  permitted 
to  have  an  influence  over  their  own  children,  other  people's^ 
or  orphans?  Why  should  diseased,  disfigured  people,  de 
prived  of  one  or  more  senses^  be  permitted  to  entail  such 
afflictions  upon  offspring  fc  Surely  legislative  action  should 
be  taken  on  the  subject. 

I  would  impress  upon  parents  the  need  of  being  sincere 
ami  truthful.     If  your  children  discover  in  you  a  want  of 


REMARKS   TO   PARENTS.  243 

these  qualities,  they  will  cease  to  respect  you,  and  you  will 
imperil  their  souls  by  the  example.  Truthfulness,  sincerity, 
and  honesty  are  the  base-work  of  a  noble  character.  Parents 
of  truth,  honor,  and  affection  are  very  rarely  neglected  by 
their  children,  while  those  who  have  neglected  to  educate 
their  children,  and  train  them  in  virtuous  ways,  sometimes 
suffer  indifference,  neglect,  and  even  dislike.  Do  not  fear 
losing  the  love  of  your  children  by  correcting  them  for  the 
expression  of  erroneous  views,  or  the  performance  of  sinful 
acts.  Never  sacrifice  principle  to  popularity.  You  will  gain 
nothing  in  the  end  by  it.  A  close  adherence  to  duty  requires 
perseverance  and  conscientiousness. 

A  few  words  to  the  heads  of  families,  in  reference  to  each 
other,  before  I  close.  Wife,  always  consult  your  husband 
in  preference  to  any  one  else,  in  reference  to  business  and 
family  matters,  if  he  is  a  sober,  correct  man.  Next  consult 
your  children,  if  they  are  worthy,  and  of  sufficiently  matured 
judgments.  Never  permit  a  stranger,  or  even  relative,  to 
come  in  as  counselor,  or  manager  of  family  matters,  unless 
there  are  good  reasons  why  your  husband  and  children  can' 
pot  first  be  consulted.  If  the  opinions  and  advice  of  people 
put  of  the  family  circle  must  be  sought,  be  careful  to  learn 
who  are  people  of  sufficient  fineness  of  feeling  to  understand 
your  embarrassment,  with  sufficient  interest  in  you  to  study 
what  is  for  your  good,  and  with  enough  wisdom  to  properly 
counsel  and  aid  you.  I  have  known  cases  where  adult  chil* 
dren  have  been  entirely  alienated  from  their  parents  by 
knowing  that  strangers  were  permitted  to  take  the  place 
they  should  supply  — r-  that  the  advice  of  aliens  had  been 
sought  when  the  advice  of  themselves  was  unsought.  To 
a  husband  I  would  give  the  same  advice.  Consult  with 
your  wife  and  children,  before,  and  in  preference  to,  any 
one  else.  Sustain  the  authority  of  each  other  mildly,  but 
firmly,  that  the  children  may  know  what  to  rely  on,  and 
that  order  apd  harmony  may  be  preserved. 


244  THOUGHTS  FOR   FATHERS, 


THOUGHTS   FOR  FATHERS, 

THE  social  status  of  a  family  is,  almost  without  excep 
tion,  determined  by  the  man.  It  is  elevated  not  so 
much  by  what  he  is  in  himself,  as  by  associating  himself 
with  worthy  and  respectable  people,  by  his  efforts  to  furnish 
his  family  with  the  comforts  and  refinements  of  life,  giving 
to  his  children  the  advantages  of  a  superior  education,  with 
opportunities  to  make  the  best  use  of  those  advantages,  draw 
ing  about  them  influences  of  an  elevating  and  purifying  na 
ture,  instilling  into  them  self-respect,  and  encouraging  them 
in  good  words  and  deeds.  It  has  long  been  a  custom  with 
the  Prussian  princes  to  learn  a  trade,  by  which,  if  they  were 
ever  thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  they  might  earn  their 
bread  by  manual  labor.  The  young  Prince  Frederick 
William,  who  married  the  Princess  of  England,  Queen  Vic 
toria's  oldest  daughter,  learned  the  business  of  a  compositor 
in  a  printing  office.  Every  Emperor  of  China  is,  on  his  ac 
cession  to  the  throne,  obliged  to  give  practical  evidence  of 
his  knowledge  of  agriculture,  by  ploughing  a  designated  piece 
of  land.  Tiie  plan  may  offer  suggestions  worth  noting. 
The  reverses  of  fortune  are  so  frequent  and  so  sudden  in 
this  country,  that  it  behooves  parents  to  prepare  their  daugh 
ters  for  them.  Three  plans  are  suggested  by  one  of  the 
most  philanthropic  women  of  the  age,  Miss  Bessie  R.  Parkes, 
author  of  '"  Essays  on  Woman's  Work."  They  are,  that 
every  father  should  give  his  daughter  a  practical  business 
education,  invest  money  in  some  permanent  way  for  her  sup 
port,  or  secure  her  a  living  by  his  life  insurance.  We  would 
advise  fathers  to  lay  this  to  heart  and  act  upon  it.  As  the 
last  two  suggestions  can  be  carried  out  where  the  parents 
are  furnished  with  means,  we  will  turn  to  the  first  sugges- 


THOUGHTS  FOR    FATHERS.  245 

jtion,  and  consider  it  more  fully.  The  individual  and  dis~ 
tiuctive  powers  of  women  need  to  bo  more  cultivated.  Until 
the  last  few  years  the  same  studies  were  given  them,  the 
same  tastes  cultivated  —  in  short,  one  pattern  answered  for 
all,  notwithstanding  their  future  duties,  and  positions  in  so* 
ciety,  were  to  vary  almost  as  much  as  the  features  of  their 
faces.  But  if  a  daughter  has  one  peculiar  gift,  why  not  cul 
tivate  it,  as  you  would  a  sou's?  If  she  has  a  preference  for 
one  study,  or  one  pursuit,  why  not  give  her  the  means  and 
opportunity  to  attain  excellence? 

The  self-reliance  of  females,  that  are  timid,  and  likely  to 
become  dependent  on  their  own  resources,  should  be  brought 
out  as  much  as  possible.  This  can  be  most  efficiently  dono 
by  kind  encouragement.  Give  your  daughters  the  power  of 
selfrsupport,  and  industrious  habits,  that  they  may,  if  uecesr 
sary,  earn  a  respectable  living.  You  know  not  what  may 
be  their  fate.  Aflluence  and  luxury  may  be  yours  now,  but, 
ere  you  are  forgotten  beneath  the  sod,  may  come  poverty, 
and  distress,  to  the  loved  ones  that  gladden  your  heart. 
What  then  will  become  of  your  unmarried  daughters?  Per 
haps  you  answer  they  will  be  taken  care  of  in  the  homes  of 
their  brothers  and  sisters.  Perhaps  such  homes  will  not  be 
agreeable,  either  to  themselves,  or  to  those  with  whom  they 
stay.  Then  give  them  a  pursuit  by  which  their  own  exer 
tions  will  entitle  them  to  a  home,  and  free  them  from  depen 
dence.  Have  your  daughters  engage  in  such  pastimes  as 
will  develop  and  strengthen  their  physical  frames.  Let 
them  learn  to  swim,  and  shoot,  to  row  a  boat,  and  run  a  race. 
Wealth  can  procure  almost  any  worldly  enjoyment.  Yet 
what  good  will  the  riches  of  Croesus  do  one  that  has  no  mind 
to  employ  them  to  advantage,  nor  health  to  enjoy  them? 


240  SUGGESTIONS   TO  MOTHERS. 


SUGGESTIONS   TO   MOTHERS. 

IT  requires  affection,  and  a  serious  sense  of  duty,  to  sanc 
tify  the  home  circle.  A  mother  needs  to  possess  sterling 
qualities  of  head  and  heart  to  perform  her  duties  fully  and 
faithfully.  To  guard  associations,  to  direct  the  gradual  un 
folding  of  intellect,  to  inspire  mental  aptitude  and  activity, 
to  awaken  pure  thoughts,  and  repress  evil  ones,  to  excite  a 
thirst  for  knowledge,  and  cultivate  a  fondness  for  intellectual 
pleasures,  are  within  the  province  of  every  sensible  mother. 

"  Mothers,"  says  Mrs.  Sigourney,  "  whatever  you  wish 
your  children  to  become,  strive  to  exhibit  in  your  own  lives 
and  conversation.  Do  not  send  them  into  an  unexplored 
country,  without  a  guide.  Put  yourself  at  their  head.  Lead 
the  way  like  Moses  through  the  wilderness  to  Pisgah.  The 
most  certain  mode  for  you  to  fix  their  habits,  is  the  silent 
ministry  of  example."  A  mother's  every  word  is  listened 
to,  her  tone  and  manners  watched,  her  very  principles  im 
bibed,  if  not  inherited.  The  impressions  she  makes  are 
stamped  indelibly  on  the  child. 

If  there  is  an  office  on  earth  that  requires  the  exercise  of 
every  good  quality,  it  is  that  of  a  mother.  Certainly  no 
office  in  any  government  commands  a  more  supreme  and 
unbounded  influence.  A  mother  forms  the  tastes,  dis 
position,  and  character  of  her  children,  and  it  may  be  of 
unborn  generations  through  them.  Nor  is  her  influence 
limited  to  this  world,  for  as  they  live  and  die  here,  so  must 
they  be  hereafter.  The  most  important  period  of  life  for 
forming  impressions  —  the  first  ten  years  —  is  given  to  the 
mother.  There  is  but  little  difficulty  in  making  an  impres 
sion  on  either  the  heart  or  the  mind  of  children  —  more 
difficulty  lies  in  fixing  the  impression. 


SUGGESTIONS   TO  MOTHERS.  247 

Many  mothers  are  ignorant  and  unqualified  for  their  du 
ties.  The  majority  of  mothers  never  devote  as  much  time 
to  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  way  in  which  to  raise  their 
children  as  they  should.  They  will  toil,  and  struggle,  and 
labor,  day  after  day,  and  year  after  year,  to  provide  them 
fine  clothes,  and  rich  food,  but  the  mere  existence  of  the 
higher  and  nobler  part  of  their  nature,  they  seem  uncon 
scious  of,  or  perhaps  think  the  mind  and  morals  need  no  train 
ing  and  guidance,  except  what  are  given  at  school.  Many  do 
not  govern  at  all,  and  many  ihat  do,  govern  by  impulse,  not 
reason. 

An  ignorant  woman  at  the  head  of  a  family,  whose  con 
trolling  motive  is  a  desire  to  please,  is  productive  of  much 
evil.  A  mother  of  weak  character  and  corrupt  principles, 
spreads  blight  and  desolation  throughout  her  family.  She 
is  among  human  beings  what  the  Upas  tree  is  among  plants. 
It  is  difficult  to  purify  the  streams  from  a  corrupt  iouutain. 
I  have  known  a  woman  sacrifice  the  morals  and  minds  of 
her  children,  by  giving  way  to  the  selfishness  of  a  dissipated 
husband,  whose  impositions  gradually  grew  into  cruelty  and 
brutishness. 

It  is  useless  for  a  mother  to  suppose  her  children,  when 
they  are  possessed  of  moral  education,  and  mature  judg 
ment,  will  respect  her  without  virtuous  principles,  or  ad- 
rnire  her  without  intelligence. 

A  woman  with  a  low  grade  of  character  will  be  more  a 
curse  than  a  blessing  to  her  family.  u  How  can  a  woman 
educate  her  children  when  she  is  not  accustomed  to  reflect? 
How  determine  what  is  suited  to  them?  How  incline  to 
virtue  of  which  she  is  ignorant?  to  merit  of  which  she 
has  no  idea?  She  will-  only  know  how  to  flatter  and  men 
ace  them —  to  render  them  insolent  or  fearful  —  imitative 
monkeys,  careless  and  dishonest  —  never  right-minded,  ami 
able  children."  Eternity  alone  can  unfold  the  evil,  sorrow, 
and  shame  brought  on  a  family  by  such  a  mother.  A  woman 
of  that  kind  drives  her  hu.sband  from  his  home,  to  seek 
sympathy  and  companionship  elsewhere,  and  in  many  cases 
artificial  stimulus  is  resorted  to,  hoping  to  blunt  wounded 


248  SUGGESTIONS   TO   MOTHERS. 

feelings,  and  produce  oblivion  of  troubles  that  cannot  bo 
mitigated  —  that  eat  out  health,  and  strength,  and  life. 

There  are  places  that  from  force  of  habit  are  called  homo 
*T—  places  where  intemperance  reigns,  where  ignorance  rules, 
where  the  animal  propensities  preponderate,  where  the  silence 
of  dumb  brutes  is  the  hushing  up  of  evil,  where  manual 
labor  exhausts  the  vital  force,  and  yet  is  the  only  labor 
recognized,  where  dishonesty  in  business  relations  exists,  and 
untruthfulness  in  reference  to  social  and  domestic  matters, 
where  distrust,  and  bitterness,  and  hatred,  make  imbecile 
the  strongest  intellects,  and  corrupt  the  purest  hearts.  In 
such  places  the  noblest  aspirations,  the  most  unselfish  deeds, 
are  cursed. 

T.  S.  Arthur  says,  "  A  largo  proportion  of  the  wrong 
woman  suffers  in  the  present  constitution  of  society  may  be 
fairly  set  down  as  the  fault  of  woman,  Not  so  much  to  the 
women  of  this,  as  of  the  preceding  generation  ;  for  the 
men  of  the  times  arc,  to  a  certain  degree,  either  what  their 
inothers  have  made  them,  or  have,  through  ignorance,  error, 
or  neglect,  permitted  them  to  become.  And  the  wrongs  that 
women  may  suffer  in  the  next  generation,  will,  in  a  like 
measure,  be  chargeable  to  the  women  of  this.  The  child  is 
far  more  easily  molded  to  a  woman's  will  than  the  man." 

Mothers  by  indulging  a  spirit  of  selfishness  in  their  sons 
are  paving  the  way  for  them  to  practice  selfishness,  exac 
tions,  and  impositions,  in  their  families.  That  the  moral 
character  of  a  mother  is  strongly  impressed  upon  her  chil 
dren  any  one  of  observation  will  confirm.  A  good  woman 
generally  has  good  sons,  while  a  woman,  deficient  in  moral 
character,  usually  has  bad  sous.  A  mother's  power  is 
greatest  in  molding  the  character.  The  mothers  of  most 
great  and  good  men  have  been  women  of  common  sense, 
education,  and  force  of  character,  caring  but  little,  if  at  all, 
for  showy  dress,  and  pomp  .of  living. 

Any  one  of  observation  is  aware  that  the  mental  nature 
of  sons  is  almost  invariably  derived  from  the  mother.  Her 
influence  is  also  more  constant.  Especially  is  it  so  with 
men  distinguished  for  their  superior  qualities.  Franklin, 


SUGGESTIONS   TO  MOTHERS.  249 

Washington,  Bonaparte,  and  Byron,  attribute  their  talents 
to  their  mother.  If  a  wan  of  ordinary  taleuts  has  a  wile 
of  superior  mind,  their  children  will  partake  of  the  mother's 
superiority,  while  if  a  talented  man  has  a  wife  of  inferior  in 
tellect,  their  children  will  be  like  the  mother,  The  physique 
of  parents  is  also  to  a  great  extent  transmitted,  Small, 
delica'e  parents  will  have  delicate  and  diseased  offspring, 
while  healthy,  robust  parents  will  have  offspring  of  a  simi 
lar  kind.  Yv'hcn  the  heads  and  hearts  of  women  are  more 
thoroughly  and  properly  culiivated,  we  shall  have  a  better 
race  of  people. 

Foresight  and  judgment  are  absolute^  essential  to  a  wo 
man  in  the  right  management  of  her  family.  A  woman 
needs  wisdom  to  guide  hu*  children,  principle  to  demand 
their  respect,  and  information  to  retain  the  favor  of  her  hus 
band,  !Self"Con:rol  is  the  grand  central  power  of  a  mother 
over  her  children,  It  is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  children 
that  they  be  educated  to  habits  of  industry  and  activity, 
Indolence  is  the  bane  of  progress. 

Mothers  should  improve  themselves  by  reading  and 
conversation,  for  when  their  children  are  grown  they  will 
probably  be  better  educated  than  they  are,  and  the  constant 
addition  made  to  the  repositories  of  art  and  science  will 
leave  them  far  in  the  background,  if  they  do  not  find  time 
to  keep  pace  with  those  additions. 

Inquiries  may  be  started,  and  observations  made,  by  a 
child,  that  will  call  into  exercise  the  deepest  thinking  powers 
of  a  philosopher, 

Miss  Edgeworth  recommends  that  a  mother  read  the  books, 
she  wishes  her  children  to  read,  and  mark  out  such  passages 
as  she  thinks  would  have  a  bad  effect,  or  cut  out  pages  con 
taining  objectionable  views,  or  influences  —  also  to  mark  the 
stories,  chapters,  and  divisions,  suitable  for  different  ages. 

There  is  a  class  of  women,  (as  well  as  men,)  that  insist 
upon  it  a  woman's  province  is  at  home-— *  whether  she  has  a. 
homo  or  not.  They  are  so  charmed  with  married  life  that 
the  rest  of  all  womankind  are  ignored  by  them,  though  they 
form  a  pretty  respectable  body  in  numbers  and  quality. 


2f)0  SUGGESTIONS   TO  MOTHERS. 

They  do  sometimes  —  in  their  clemency  —  remember  the 
existence  of  a  certain  portion  of  this  body  on  which  they  are 
dependent  —  lady  teachers. 

Many  women  that  are  free  from  home  cares  devote  them* 
selves  to  religious  duties.  Especially  is  it  so  with  pious 
ladies  whose  children  have  grown  up,  and  no  longer  require 
their  time. 

Mauy  daughters  are  tenderly  cared  for,  and  provided  with 
all  that  heart  can  wish.  .  But  ofttimes  the  messenger  of  death 
comes  unawares,  and  in  his  train  may  follow  want  and 
poverty.  Then,  mothers,  provide  for  that  time,  in  case  it 
should  come.  Furnish  your  daughters  with  such  knowl 
edge  of  some  one  employment  as  may  serve  them  in  the 
hour  of  need.  If  you  wish  to  fit  your  daughters  for  the 
practical  experiences  of  life,  educate  them  for  its  practical 
purposes.  So  live  as  to  make  your  children  love  and  respect 
you.  If  you  do, 

"In  sorrow's  lonely  hour, 
Your  memory  on  their  souls  will  steal, 
Like  music  strain,  with  magic  power, 
To  chase  away  each  thought  of  ill." 

A  niother  may  inspire  in  her  children  sentiments  that  in 
future  years  will  lead  them  to  advance  justice,  to  uphold 
truth,  and  sustain  the  rights  of  the  weak  and  Jielpless.  She 
may  cultivate  in  them  a  love  for  the  beautiful  in  nature,  for 
the  stars,  flowers,  and  clouds,  for  the  trees,  and  water,  and 
for  the  varieties  of  landscape.  She  may  teach  them  to 
detest  treachery  and  meanness,  and  to  check  tyranny  and 
oppression.  She  may  inspire  the  moral  courage  that  will 
}ead  thern  to  act  pobly  under  the  inqst  trying  circumstances. 


ADVICE   TO   BROTHERS.  251 


to  BROTHERS. 


BROTHERS,  do  you  toil  from  morn  till  night  for  orphan 
or  destitute  sisters?  If  so.,  put  it  in  their  power  to  fit 
themselves  for  some  useful  employment,  and  they  will  be 
likely  to  feel  more  gratitude,  than  if  remaining  dependent  on 
your  labors,  and  they  will  more  delight  to  help  themselves, 
than  see  you  exhausting  mind  antU^pdy,  in  the  effort  to  pro 
vide  for  them. 

Give  your  sisters  remunerative  employment  to  make  them 
self-reliant  and  independent—  -  that  their  self-respect  may 
keep  them  from  doing  anything  improper  to  gain  a  subsist- 
encek  You  will  thereby  free  them,  to  some  extent,  from 
that  sense  of  dependence  so  crushing  to  proud  spirits.  Wo 
men  need  support,  but  nothing  chills  them  more  than  the 
necessity  of  receiving  it  from  those  on  whom  they  have  but 
a  slight  claim  t  Not  that  I  would  intimate  sisters  have  no 
claims  on  brothers,  for  they  certainly  have  to  a  large  extent, 
and  brothers  of  self-respect,  and  proper  principle,  will  feel  and 
recognize  that  claim.  But  the  kindest,  and  best,  of  brothers, 
may  be  removed  by  misfortune,  or  carried  off  by  death,  and 
sisters  may  be  cast  with  those  on  whom  they  have  no  claims, 
save  those  of  humanity* 

Encourage  not  your  sisters  in  the  reading  of  fiction.  How 
many  of  our  magazines,  edited  by  women  of  cultivation,  are 
mere  trash  1  The  prose  is  only  love  dreams,  and  the  poetry 
vague  sentiment.  It  is  cruel  to  offer  such  light  froth  to  the 
souls  of  women  —  •  to  furnish  their  minds  with  such  ethereal, 
unsatisfactory  diet. 

Brothers,  neglect  not  your  sisters  on  the  peril  of  your  sonls. 
Deal  with  them  justly,  honorably,  tenderly.  Never  treat  a 
female  unkindly.  You  know  not  how  much  a  woman  needs 


252  ADVICE   TO  BROTHERS. 

kindness.  Her  nature  demands  it.  Her  duties  are  general 
ly  of  a  quiet,  contemplative  kind.  Her  thoughts  and  feel 
ings  are  confined  to  the  persons  about  her.  A  man,  if 
engaged  in  manual  labor,  can  forget  his  troubles  in  the  noise 
and  bustle  around  him.  If  a  professional  man,  the  varied 
duties  of  his  sphere  call  his  mind  from  the  frequently  trivial, 
yet  vexatious  difficulties)  that  annoy  and  harass  a  woman. 

I  believe  all  the  improper  conduct  of  a  woman  may  be 
traced  to  a  want  of  sympathy  in  her  feelings,  or  a  want  of 
appreciation  of  her  moral  and  mental  worth.  Then  be  care 
ful,  brothers,  that  you  give  to  your  sifters  that  love  and 
sympathy  which  they  require,  for  the  full  development  of 
their  higher  and  better  nature.  You  will  be  well  rewarded 
in  so  doing,  by  a  return  of  affection  and  confidence. 


WORDS   TO    YOUNG  LADIES.  253 


WOfcDS  TO  YOUNG  LADIES. 

YOUTH  is  the  time  in  which  character  is  shaped.  Then 
the  habits  are  formed,  and  the  principles  fixed.  Then 
gop3  habits  are  easily  acquired,  and  bad  ones  abandoned* 
Then  the  passions  should  be  controlled,  and  self-government 
acquired.  Then  should  endeavors  be  made  to  secure  a  well- 
balanced  mind,  and  good  moral  character,  for  youth  will 
decide  the  misery,  or  happiness,  of  old  age. 

The  first  ten  years  after  leaving  school  are  generally,  with 
a  young  lady,  the  turning-point  in  her  destiny.  She  leaves 
school  with  a  warm  heart,  an  active  mind,  and  high  hopes  ; 
but  it  may  be,  she  finds  nothing  to  fully  occupy  them.  She 
becomes  listless,  inactive,  selfish.  Her  sympathies  and 
energies  are  not  brought  into  play,  and  so  she  passes  on  the 
dull,  "  even  tenor  of  her  way,"  She  occupies  her  waking 
hours  in  reading  novels,  practicing  the  accomplishments, 
and  entertaining  gay,  thoughtless  companions. 

•'  Is  there  nothing  to  study,  and  nothing  to  learn, 
No  object  to  care  for,  no  credit  to  earn, 
No  wisdom  worth  seeking,  no  aim  to  fulfil!4 
No  hope  to  encourage,  no  motive  for  will, 
No  field  unexplored,  no  pathway  to  aught. 
That  is  worthy  a  being  of  reason,  and  thought? 
Can  it  be  there  is  nothing  an  interest  possessing, 
More  worth  than  society,  dashing,  and  dressing  ?  " 

We  have  often  thought  how  little,  to  a  casual  observer, 
there  seems  ^  to  be,  to  occupy  the  time  profitably  of  young 
ladies,  in  cities,  whose  circumstances  are  easy.  It  is  sad 
that  when  there  is  so  much  work  to  do  in  the  world,  there 
should  be  so  many  young  ladies  wasting  their  hours  in  idle 
ness,  —  sad  there  should  be  so  many  in  bad  health  from  fie 


254  WORDS   TO    YOUNG  LADIES. 

want  of  bodily  exercise,  and  mental  activity,  when  thou-1 
sands  are  perishing  for  want  of  the  attention  they  might  give. 
Surely  in  this  world  of  sin*  misery,  and  poverty,  they  might 
find  something  to  do,  or  their  friends  might  find  it  for  them. 
I  fear  that  many  of  our  sex,  on  theii4  death-beds,  will  look 
back  with  bitter  regret  to  the  early  years  of  womanhood, 
when  idleness  and  listlessness,  oi4  thoughtlessness  and  dis* 
sipation,  swept  many  hours  into  that  great  abyss  from 
which  they  can  never  return.  Arid  yet,  we  know  they 
were  not  so  much  to  blame  as  the  parents,  who  opened  .not 
to  their  daughters  useful  fields  of  employment,  nor  instilled 
into  them  high  and  worthy  purposes. 

Our  capacities  for  enjoyment  are  great*  If  the  affections 
take  n  right  direction,  they  bring  joy  and  happiness  ;  if  a 
wrong  direction,  sorrow  and  misery.  Many  young  ladies 
have  sentimental  ideas  of  friendship  and  love,  but  they  often 
fiud  the  experience  mere  lip  service;  If  young  ladies  would 
refuse  to  accept  the  attentions  of  men  that  are  immoral,  it 
would  be  better  for  themselves,  and  society.  It  would  work 
a  glorious  revolution*  If  women  had  more  force  of  char 
acter,  and  sought  the  approbation  of  their  God  with  more 
zeal,  methinks  there  would  not  be  such  a  lack  of  resolution 
when  they  are  called  on  to  express  their  opinions  of  fashion 
able  immoralities  •*-•  not  such  a  smoothing  over,  and  coating 
of  vice  with  sugared  words,  not  such  a  desire  to  excuse  that 
which  they  know  is  evil.  Principles  of  truth  and  honor 
should  be  dearer  than  life  to  a  woman.  We  love  to  see  a 
\voman  possess  that  virtue,  which  evil  men  quail  before. 
Intercourse  with  the  best  authors  will  create  a  distaste  for 
the  society  of  the  rude  and  ignorant.  Wishes  and  tastes 
grow  refined,  or  coarse,  according  to  nature  and  cultivation. 

In  seeing  a  young  lady,  hour  after  hour,  in  the  appliances 
of  toilet  mysteries,  when  she  should  be  enriching  her  mind, 
to  see  her  by  little  tricks  of  coquetry  endeavoring  to  gain 
admiration,  or,  by  envious  words,  increasing  the  disparity 
between  herself  and  those  of  inferior  claims,  it  makes  in 
some  plainer  persons,  honest  simplicity,  self-denial,  and 
sacrifices,  shine  forth  with  increased  lustre.  It  makes 
sincerity  rank  as  a  gem  of  the  first  water* 


WORDS   TO  YOUNG  LADIES.  255 

Young  ladies  —  you,  who  revel  in  luxurious  ease,  and  are 
decked  with  queenly  robes,  arid  costly  ornaments  —  you, 
that  fritter  away  your  precious  hqurs,  an4  languidly  dream, 
away  your  time,  in  the  easy  elegance  of  drawing-room  life, 
turn  for  a  few  moments,  and  lend  a  listening  ear.  Consider 
the  old  adage,  ^  It  is  better  to  wear  out  than  to  rust  out." 
Better  in  activity  try  to  accomplish,  something,  even  though 
you  fail.  No  labor  is  lost,  for  the  very  energy  acquired 
thereby  is  valuable.  Life  is  too  short  to  spend  a  third,  or 
thereabouts,  in  preparation  at  school,  and  then  waste  years 
in  deciding  what  plan  to  pursue  through,  life  —  what  aim  to 
keep  in  view  to  make  yourself  useful,  If  you  undertake 
anything  useful,  do  it  with  resolution  and  courage.  On  your 
road  you  may  find  success,  'Tis  true  you  may  tread  on 
thorns  and  thistles  now  and  then.  Yet  tell  me  the  roa.4 
where  you  will  not.  You  cannot  expect  a  path  hedged  in 
by  roRe.s,  and  strewed  with  beautiful  flowers.  Be  prepared, 
then,  for  your  journey.  Active,  untiring  industry,  per-* 
severance,  and  self?reliance,  are  necessary  for  successe 
Fixedness  of  purpose,  too,  is  essential.  The  uncertainty  of 
life,  and  everything  else,  renders  it  desirable  that  the  fulfill 
ment  pf  every  intention,  the  performance  of  every  duty,  be 
attended  to  without  delay,  YOU  rqust  give  an  account  to 
God  for  all  your  time  —  every  month,  week,  day,  tiour. 
For  doing  good  all  have  some  ability,  natural  or  acquired. 
Quo  can  give  of  their  substance,  another  can  wait  on  the 
sick,  another  visit  the  poor,  another  teach  the  ignorant,  and 
another  furnish  a  home  to  the  orphan.  These  are  blessed 
missions  of  woman. 

So  live  that  you  may  surrender  with  joy,  and  not  with 
trembling,  the  talents  committed  to  your  care.  u  What  you 
truly  and  earnestly  aspire  to  be,  that  in.  some  sense  you  are, 
The  mere  aspiration,  by  changing  the  frame  of  the  mind,  for 
the  moment,  realizes  itself." 

TWO  or  tliree  years  might  be  profitably  spent,  a.fter 
leaving  school,  in  fitting  yourselves  for  occupations.  They 
will  engage  your  time  and  talents,  and  may  be  a  valuable 
resource  in  times  of  trial,  Defer  it  ijot  while  time  and 


256        WORDS  TO  YOUNG  LADIES. 

opportunity  arc  given.  "  Persevere  in  well  doing,  fqr  in 
due  season,  you  shall  reap  your  reward,  if  you  fail  not," 
We  would  not  have  you  live  as  the  epicure,  for  present 
pleasure  only,  nor  as  the  cynic,  shunning  society,  nor  as  the 
stoic,  lauding  insensibility  as  a  virtue,  but  in  exercising  the 
intellectual  faculties,  arid  preparing  them  for  a  higher  and 
loftier  sphere  of  action.  Live  for  something  better,  and 
nobler,  than  the  mere  gratification  of  bodily  wants,  and 
pleasures,  So  live  that  when  called  away  you  may  feel  the 
world  is  better  for  your  having  lived  in  it, 

In  youth,  real  sorrow,  if  not  too  long  continued,  softens 
and  subdues  the  feelings,  yet  strengthens  and  matures  the 
character.  But  let  not  melancholy  brood  over  your  spirits. 
Jt  saddens,  it  crushes  every  impulse,  every  energy.  Use 
such  opportunities  as  you  have  for  social  enjoyment ;  but 
work  diligently.  Cut  your  cable  and  sail  out  from  the 
shores  of  iudolence.  Summon  energy  and  industry  to  your 
rescue.  If  your  vessel  lies  long  in  a  calm,  it  will  become 
unfit  to  bear  the  storms  likely  to  come  upon  it.  Its  timbers 
will  become  so  decayed,  its  sails  so  tender,  its  ropes  so 
spliced,  that  it  will  be  broken  away,  and  wrecked,  or  dashed 
jn  a  thousand  pieces.  Look  to  the  Pilot  that  can  direct  you 
through  thie  sea  of  vague  uncertainty,  and  at  last,  after  an 
acti^3,  useful  life,  safely  moor  you  in  the  haven  of  eternal 
pest. 

L)o  not  suppose  marriage  is  essential  for  happiness.  If 
you  see  much  of  human  life,  you  will  learn  that  there  is  prob 
ably  as  much  misery  in  married  life  as  out  of  it. 

Take  such  capital  as  nature  and  education  have  furnished 
you,  and  turn  it  to  the  best  account.  If  you  are  beautiful, 
improve  your  mind  to  correspond  with  your  person.  We 
would  not  decry  beauty.  It  is  a  gift  from  the  Almighty. 
We  admire  it,  and  love  to  see  it  becomingly  cherished ;  but 
with  humility.  Cultivate  the  beauty  of  the  heart,  then  of  the 
mind,  then  of  the  person,  Pure  and  noble  aims,  high  and 
holy  purposes,  are  more  beautiful  than  the  most  perfect 
symmetry  of  features  and  form.  Women  are  too  much 
flittered  for  their  personal  beauty  —  just  as  a  pet  fawn,  a 


WORDS   TO    VQVNQ  LADJPS. 

lamb,  ft  rabbit,  or  bird  would  be.  The  soul,  that  noblest 
part  of  woman,  is  rarely  taken  into  consideration,  Her 
mind  is  overlooked  as  though  she  was  not  expected  to 
possess  any.  And  even  her  qualities  of  heart  sink  below 
beauty  of  face  and  form,  And  6p  woman  is  degraded, 
And  her  anxiety  to  please  men  will  often  lead  her  tq  feel, 
and  thipk,  that  the  most  desirable  thing  to  possess  is  personal 
beauty,  {She  sees  pot  that  wpman  is  thereby  likely  to  bo 
kept  in  ignorance,  and  a  corresponding  degradation,  fen? 
knowledge  guided  by  judgment  is  wisdom,  and  wisdom  is 
power,  She  sees  not  tljat  woman  is  flattered  for  what  she 
deserves  no  credit,  inasmuch  as  her  beauty  is  an  accidental 
property,  while  the  learning  she  has  acquired,  the  good  she 
has  done,  are  the  fruits  of  industry  and  application.  Miss 
Hannah  More  says,  *4  Tpose  ]blessed  wilh  beauty  should 
have  something  to  take  up  when  beauty  has  to  be  laic] 
down."  Of  all  other  beauties,  the  most  lasting,  the  most 
exalted,  is  moral  beauty.  No  other  can  compare  with  it. 
It  is  seen  under  every  circpmstance,  ip  every  condition  of 
life.  It  glows  in  poverty  as  in  wealth,  in  affliction  as  in 
happiness,  in  misfortune  as  in  prosperity.  It  shines  forth 
froin  the  povel  as  from  the  palace,  Jt  is  not  liniited  to  timo 
or  place.  It  is  pot  so  much  a  gift  of  Nature  as  the  result  of 
training,  and  self-culture. 

Then  u  work  while  it  is  day,  for  the  night  cometh  where- 
ip  pope  cap  work/'  You  are  hastening  to  the  grave,  ip 
which  "  there  is  no  work,  P,or  device,  nor  knowledge,  nor 
wisdom." 

17 


258  HABITS  AND   CHARACTER, 


THE  FORMATION   OF   HABITS   AND   CHAR 
ACTER. 

A  WISE  Providence,  no  doubt,  orders  all  tho  events  of 
our  lives.  Many  of  these  events  may  be  severe  chas 
tisements,  but  the  devout  Christian  can  generally  trace  the 
good  effects  that  have  followed  them.  lu  many  cases  they 
develop  sterling  qualities  that  are  latent,  and  confirm  those 
that  exist. 

We  must  suffer  to  bring  us  near  to  God.  Without  suffer 
ing  we  would  live  at  too  great  a  distance  from  him.  We 
cannot  fully  realize  any  feeling  without  having  experienced 
the  opposite.  We  cannot  appreciate  pleasure  without  having 
suffered  pain.  We  cannot  enjoy  a  spirit  of  triumph  if  we 
have  not  known  disappointment, 

The  mind  of  man  is  capable  of  infinite  expansion,  and  is  as 
immortal  as  the  great  I  AM,  Dr.  Bovnton  says,  "  I  do 
not  envy  men  of  superior  intellects,  like  Clay  and  Webster, 
but  I  venerate  them,  I  do  not  scorn  people  of  inferior 
intellect.  My  benevolence  prompts  me  to  try  and  elevate 
them,  My  sense  of  justice  and  goodness  leads  me  to  raise 
them  to  a  level  with  myself." 

Some  writer  remarks,  "  The  sentiment  of  necessity,  strong 
ly  and  liberally  conceived  by  a  reasonable  being,  is  the 
only  thing  that  imparts  interest  to  human  action,  and  thence 
energy  to  the  character.  That  sentiment  clothes  with  equal 
dignity  the  most  varied  occupations.  It  often  gives  to  the 
young  girl,  who  is  compelled  to  fulfill  duties,  which  seem 
abject  in  their  nature,  a  more  elevated  inward  existence, 
than  her  equal  in  age  of  the  affluent  class,  who  is  occupied 
with  tribes,  or  does  nothing." 

In  the  medical  periodical.  "  Scalpel,"  J  saw    an  article 


HABITS  AND   CHARACTER.  259 

containing  an  idea  that  I  think  is  becoming  fearfully  preva 
lent namely,  "  that  bad  habits  are  to  a  great  extent  con* 

stitutional,  being  derived  from  the  parent."  An  individual 
impressed  with  that  belief,  whoso  parents  are  worthless  or 
depraved,  will  give  way  to  evil  thoughts  and  feelings,  and 
act  them  out,  that  might  otherwise  check  and  subdue  them. 
He  would  feel  that  he  was  doomed  to  be  wicked,  and  could 
not  be  different.  In  this  respect  we  think  the  tendency  of 
such  a  doctrine  exceedingly  pernicious.  Some  may  bring 
as  an  argument  against  this  that  a  person,  by  knowing  to 
what  sins  he  has  an  hereditary  tendency,  may  guard  against 
them.  The  "Scalpel "  continues,  u  Poverty  and  crime  depend 
on  the  organization  of  the  body,  The  face  is  an  index  to 
the  soul  —  so  we  can  judge  much  of  the  character  and  dis 
position  by  the  face.  Impulses,  whether  good  or  evil,  are 
born  of  the  brain.  Poverty  in  two  or  three  generations 
becomes  an  organic  disease.  Unwholesome  food,  damp 
rooms,  insufficient  heat,  and  bad  clothing,  produce  a  low 
degree  of  life  power.  About  one  in  one  thousand  may  be 
an°exception  to  the  rule.  They  may  discover  the  existence 
of  superior  powers,  because  in  some  way  a  spark  of  genius 
has  dropped  into  their  souls.  It  would  seem  as  if  some  are 
designed,  from  the  first  moment  of  their  existence,  to  direct 
and  lead  the  rest.  The  contrary  of  this  may  be  the  case. 
Some,  blessed  with  every  advantage,  and  possessing  strong, 
athletic,  clear-minded  parents,  are  weak,  silly,  and  ineffi 
cient." 

We  are  so  constituted,  and  rendered  so  different  by  edu 
cation  and  habit,  that  one  person  cannot  possibly  under 
go  the  fatigue,  mentally  or  physically,  that  another  can. 
And  the  same  causes  make  the  hours  required  for  rest 
to  vary  greatly.  We,  to  a  great  extent,  form  ourselves 
as  we  are,  Day  after  day  serves  to  impress  some  idea 
incorporated  into  our  soul's  history,  to  develop  some  latent 
germ  of  thought,  to  mature  some  misty,  half-formed  plan. 

Facts  make  people  dry  and  hard.  They  extract  the  poe 
try  from  their  natures,  But  facts  are  stubborn  realities, 
and  must  be  faced.  It  is  a  sad,  yes,  a  terrible  thing,  to  Jose 


260  HABITS  AND   CHARACTER. 

the  freshness  and  vigor  of  life  —  to  be  conscious  of  it— *-to 
feel  it  in  your  soul.  The  dark  shadows  that  haunt  the  spirit 
may  not  be  dispelled,  The  cry  of  a  breaking  heart,  the 
wail  of  an  agonised  soul,  are,  in  many  cases,  heard  only 
by  God. 

The  different  classes  of  society  are  not  entirely  separate 
and  (distinct  in  any  civilized  country  except  India.  They 
have  their  influence  everywhere,  on  each  other,  for  good  or 
evil.  They  mutually  and  constantly  act  and  react.  The 
follies  and  vices  of  one  class  are  likely  to  become  the  follies 
and  vices  of  another,  while  the  virtues  of  oqe,  in  time,  be 
come  the  virtues  of  another. 

We  do  wrong  to  judge  others.  We  should  always  make 
gome  allowance,  for  we  often  do  not  know  of  circumstances 
that  lead  persons  to  do  what  may  appear  wrong.  Jjearn, 
then,  to  forgive  and  forget.  But  at  the  same  time  be  firm 
and  decided  when  conscious  that  you  are  right.  Never 
permit  yourself  to  be  led  astray  by  any  one  —  even  if  they 
are  agreeable,  or  talented,  or  influential.  Speak  and  act 
decidedly  when  any  would  tempt  you  to  do  wrong,  Re-- 
member  there  is  a,  God  who  sees  us  at  all  times,  and  who 
will  judge  us  as  rational  beings,  lleaven  rarely  lets  merit 
and  goodness  go  unrewarded,  though  it  is  often  long  before 
that  reward  is  seen  or  felt, 

Most  people  are  aiixious  to  be  respected  — -  some  wish  to 
be  admired,  and  some  desire  to  be  loved.  Few  people,  ex* 
cept  when  in  authority,  wish  to  be  feared.  Some  proud, 
misguided  people  will  not  ask  pardon  for  evil  spoken,  or 
wrong  done,  and  so  harm  themselves,  as  well  as  others,  by 
increasing  tlie  disorder  of  their  brains,  and  the  sinfulness  of 
their  hearts. 

The  changes  are  very  great  ia  opinion,  feeling,  disposition, 
and  (character,  that  take  place  in  every  individual,  that  re 
sides  in  various  places,  among  different  people,  and  under  a 
variety  of  circumstances.  The  individual  of  to-day,  would 
be  so  changed  in  nature  fifteen  or  twenty  years  hence,  that 
he  would  not  be  recognized  by  the  friends  of  to-day,  nor 


HA& ITS  AND   CHARACTER,  261 

Opinions  are  the  result  of  our  mental  and  moral  training, 
observation,  example,  reading,  the  influence  of  others,  am} 
associations.  We  are  responsible  for  them  to  some  extent. 

No  two  children  ever  enter  life  upon  exactly  the  same 
footing.  Some  come  into  the  possession  of  material  wealth, 
some  do  not ;  some  look  forward  to  its  possession,  some  do 
not ;  some  are  carefully  trained  to  make  the  best  of  life, 
while  some  are  allowed  to  vegetate  in  idleness  ;  some  are 
favored  with  the  best  society  and  best  humaq  institutions, 
Others  have  no  privileges  of  the  kind. 

I  have  seen  it  stated  that  those  who  were  born  and  reared 
with  wealth,  were  more  amiable,  charitable,  and  loving, 
than  those  who  have  acquired  it  by  their  own  energies  or 
talents.  This  is  probable,  but  such  people  rarely  possess  so 
great  force  of  chapter.  They  have  not  that  decision,  that 
determination  of  will,  which  overcome  difficulties,  and  can 
only  be  gained  by  conflict  in  the  battle  of  life. 

The   good  and  virtuous  use  to  the   best  advantage  the 
blessings  conferred  on  them,  the  bad  and  vicious  turn 
into  curses, 


$62  EDUCATION  AND   HOME  DUTIES. 


CONNECTION   OF   EDUCATION   WITH   HOME 
DUTIES, 

EDUCATION,  and  the  gratification  of  a  literary  taste, 
do  not  unfit  women  for  the  discharge  of  domestic  du 
ties,  It  is  not  necessary  that  a  woman  be  a  slovenly  house 
keeper  because  she  is  a  woman  of  learning.  Ir.deed,  a  cer 
tain  discipline  of  the  mind  is  acquired  by  an  early  and 
constant  attention  to  domestic  duties.  Many  of  our  most 
distinguished  writers  have  been  as  faithful  in  performing  the 
duties  pertaining  to  the  various  relations  of  life  as  the  illit 
erate.  Education  gives  a  definiteness  to  the  mind,  a  clearness 
in  making  explanations,  and  giving  orders,  that  facilitate 
the  duties  of  housekeeping.  Home  life  is  as  dear  to  the 
authoress  as  to  the  woman  of  a  vacant  mind.  In.  her  heart, 
as  in  that  of  any  good  mother,  the  springs  of  love  are 
stronger  and  deeper,  than  those  of  life.  I$y  education  we 
open  the  door  to  a  wider  field  of  usefulness.  The  more 
highly  people  are  educated,  the  more  reason  have  they 
for  working.  They  hold  a  boon  for  which  they  are  re? 
sponsible.  They  know  better  how  to  work  to  some  pur-r 
pose.  They  are,  in  fact,  more  likely  to  work,  for  the  in 
creased  consciousness  of  duty,  arising  from  education, 
would  make  them  desire  to  accomplish  something  worthy 
of  the  usefulness  and  dignity  of  their  position.  They  there? 
by  enjoy  and  increase  the  blessings  of  education,  and  homo 
refinement.  The  most  ignorant  and  bigoted  people,  so  far 
as  I  know,  are  the  most  despotic.  A  kind  heart,  influenced 
by  an  uncultivated  mind,  and  a  want  of  judgment,  is  more 
productive  of  unhappiness,  injustice,  and  evil,  than  a  less 
warm,  impulsive  heart,  with  a  cool,  clear  judgment,  and 
more  intelligence.  If  women  do  lose  any  of  their  sweetness, 
find  softness,  of  manner,  and  temper,  by  intellectual  culture, 


EDUCATION  AND  HOME  DUTIES.  263 

they  grow  in  force,  influence,  and  variety   of  attractions. 
"  We  appeal  to  any  one  who  has  lived  with  cultivated  per* 
sous  of  both  sexes,  whether  he  has  not  witnessed  as  much 
pedantry)  as  much  wrong-headedness,  as  much  annoyance, 
produced  by  learning,  in  men,  as  in  women,  and  certainly  a 
great  deal  more  rudeness."     If  an  educated  woman  marry  it 
man  whose  want  of  culture  may  sometimes  shock  her  sense 
of  propriety  and  good  taste,  the  happiness  she  will  have  in  a 
superior  education,  and  the  ability  thereby  afforded  for  in 
structing  her  children,  will  do  much  to  reconcile  her.     The 
effort  required  (if  not  too  great)  to  bear  patiently  his  coarse 
ness,  will  be  a  strengthener  of  her  virtues*     If  her  husband 
should  be  a  man  of  cultivated  tastes,  and  superior  attain* 
ments,  she  will   greatly  enjoy  his  society,  and  he  will  bo 
blessed   by   her   companionship*      So,  whether   congenially 
married  or  not,  she  will  suffer  no  disadvantage  from  being 
educated.     Educate  a  woman  properly  in  mind,  heart,  aud 
manners,  and  she  will  generally  know  how  to  direct   her 
course*     It  is  rather  a  sad  fact  that  most  women  are  ready 
to  learn  the  accomplishments,  but  after  marriage  neglect 
them,  and,  what  is  more  to  be  lamented,  fail  to  cultivate 
their  mental  powers*    A  good  cabinet,  a  well-selected  library, 
masterpieces  of  painting  and  sculpture,  are  objects  that  will 
improve,  as  well  as  entertain,  and  every  mother  should  en* 
deavor  to  make  such  collections  for  her  children* 

lu  a  few  schools  domestic  economy  is  now  being  taught 
practically,  as  well  as  theoretically.  It  was  at  a  school  of 
this  kind,  in  Philadelphia,  that  Miss  Leslie  learned  the  rudi 
ments  of  cooking,  and  so  established  the  foundation  of  that 
information  imparted  in  her  cookery  book.  The  only  edu 
cational  school  of  note  in  this  country  in  which  any  knowl 
edge  of  housewife  duties  is  given,  and  that  on  a  limited 
scale,  is  the  one  at  Mount  Holyoke,  Mass.,  founded  by 
one  of  the  richest  treasures  of  her  sex  —  Miss  Mary  Lyou. 
There  is  one  of  considerable  extent,  confined  exclusively  to 
the  various  branches  of  cooking,  in  Stuttgard,  Germany. 
Within  a  few  years  one  has  been  established  in  London,  and 
one  is  about  to  go  into  operation  in  New  York  city. 


264  WOMEN'S    WANT   OF  INCENTIVE. 


WOMEN'S   WANT    OF    INCENTIVE    TO   STUDY 
AND    ACTION. 

fTlHE  question,  What  shall  I  be  .when  I  am  grown?  pro 
I  sents  itself,  again  and  again,  to  the  mind  of  the  boy, 
and  the  youth.  But  how  seldom  does  it  occur  to  the  mind 
of  the  girl!  And  why?  Because  the  same  aspirations  are 
not  offered  her  —  equal  posts  of  honor  are  not  presented. 
If  the  question  ever  occurs  to  her.,  it  is  in  a  moral  light,  not 
a  mental  one.  She  thinks  of  what  lovely  graces  she  will 
cultivate,  not  what  powers  of  mind. 

Why  not  afford  women  the  same  mental  stimulus  as  men? 
"Why  may  they  not  receive  equal  degrees  of  honor?  Why 
may  they  not  be  encouraged  to  cultivate  an  aspiring  na 
ture,  and  feel  that  their  talents  and  wisdom  will  be  acknowl 
edged?  With  them  the  buoyant  spirits  of  youth  may  be 
crushed,  and  the  fancy  dimmed,  by  too  close  application 
to  study.  Yet,  what  does  it  avail,  as  matters  now  stand, 
save  the  personal  gratification  arising  from  the  possession 
of  knowledge?  In  the  present  state  of  society,  women  have 
but  little  encouragement  to  become  highly  cultivated,  and 
well  informed.  It  is  true,  culture  may  afford  a  limited  ad 
vantage,  by  opening  to  such  women  the  acquaintance,  if 
they  reside  in  a  city,  of  a  small  circle  of  select  and  con 
genial  friends. 

The  possession  of  knowledge,  both  theoretical  and  practi 
cal,  should  serve  to  give  women  influence,  It  certainly 
does  much  to  mold  character,  and  should,  with  moral 
stamina,  fix  a  woman's  position  in  society.  It  is  capable 
of  doing  much  to  render  her  happy  or  miserable,  and  will 
make  her  conscious  of  her  power  and  strength, 


WOMEN'S    WANT   OF  INCENTIVE.  2G5 

As  a  general  thing,  there  is  no  distinct  aim  in  view,  in  a 
female's  education,  but  to  fit  her  to  make  a  show  in  society ; 
consequently  there  is  no  selection  of  appropriate  studies,  no 
direction  given  to  any  particular  bent  of  inclinations,  talents, 
and  tastes,  And  too  frequently  the  only  talent  exercised  is 
that  of  memory..  It  is  very  much  like  running  a  race  with 
out  any  object  in  view. 

Did  woman's  education  open,  to  her  expectation,  prefer 
sions  in  which  she  might  accomplish  gqod,  ami  earp  a  repu? 
tation,  as  her  brothers  do,  there  would  then  be  a  stimulus. 
Huch  mental  capital  would  in  that  case  be  of  pecuniary 
profit,  in  serving  as  publisher,  proof-reader,  engraver,  lee* 
turer,  librarian,  &c,  It  would  encourage  her  to  culture  of 
mind  in  a  business  way,  and  to  active  exertion. 

Make  the  occupatipns  of  women  more  honorable.  The 
higher  professions  of  men  are  at  once  a  passport  to  the  first 
class  of  society.  Let  it  be  so  with  those  of  women.  Why 
should  it  not?  Endow  institutions  for  their  education,  that 
they  may  acquire  instruction  at  a  reasonable  rate.  Let  the 
professors  be  ladies,  well  qualified,  and  receiving  such  a 
compensation  as  accords  with  the  same  office  in  male  in 
stitutions,  With  the  buoyancy  of  youth,  and  the  ambition 
that  fires  her  brothers,  a  woman  may  then  accomplish 
something  before  her  strength  is  wasted  and  her  constitu 
tion  shattered,  By  ambition,  a  woman's  time  and  efforts 
would  be  so  engrossed  as  to  absorb  minor  griefs  and 
annoyances. 

A  certain  amount  of  self-reliance  is  necessary  for  every 
woman  that  would  earn  her  own  livelihood.  Skill  may  be 
the  chief  requisite  in  an  employment,  or  knowledge,  OF 
physical  strength,  or  endurance,  or  capability  of  resisting 
extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  But  patience  and  constancy  are 
(desirable  in  all. 

Women  who  devote  themselves  to  literary  pursuits,  and 
works  of  philanthropy  3  will  ever  be  respected  by  people  of 
morality  and  cultivation  ;  their  iufluence  and  opinions  will 
}mve  weight. 

£.  woman  of  education  and  talents  must  pccupy  herself 


266  WOMEN'S    WANT  OF  INCENTIVE. 

fully  and  freely,  or  she  will  be  discontented,  miserable. 
Such  are  the  restrictions  and  prejudices  of  society  that 
fe\v  can  do  so.  Those  women  that  can,  should  inaugurate 
a  new  state  of  affairs  ;  they  should,  by  speech  and  with 
their  pens,  endeavor  to  do  away  with  unfounded  prejudice 
and  unreasonable  restrictions. 

The  resources  afforded  in  hours  of  loneliness  have  been 
the  principal  inducement  to  women  to  become  well  informed. 
All  reading  is  done  for  either  pleasure  or  profit.  As  the  fa 
cilities  become  greater  to  women,  for  acquiring  a  livelihood 
by  their  learning,  they  will  make  more  effort  to  obtain  it. 
In  education,  a  man  rarely  learns  anything  that  he  cannot 
use  —  a  woman  may  learn  much  that  she  cannot  use  practi 
cally,  unless  she  engages  in  business,  or  has  the  instruction 
of  children. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  (hat  the  Sorosis  of  New  York,  and  its 
branch  in  Chicago,  with  the  New  England  Women's  Club 
of  Boston,  will  do  much  to  ameliorate  and  elevate  the  con 
dition  of  women.  In  the  circular  of  the  New  York  Sorosis 
the  aims  set  forth  are  noble,  the  aspirations  high.  A  vast 
and  inviting  field  awaits  its  labors.  May  success  croxvn 
the  efforts  of  all  who  work  earnestly,  practically,  and  judi 
ciously  in  the  cause  of  woman. 


UNMARRIED    WOMEN  AND    WIDOWS.  267 


UNMARRIED  WOMEN  AND  WIDOWS. 

THE  extreme  sensitiveness  of  youth,  the  fear  of  ridicule, 
the  timidity  that  makes  women  shrink  from  observa 
tion,  all  tend  to  make  them  backward  in  every  enterprise, 
however  well  calculated  it  may  be  to  improve  the  condition 
of  themselves,  and  of  their  sex.  Women  lose  much  of  this 
as  they  grow  older.  They  are  therefore  better  fitted  to  be 
pioneers  in  new  channels  of  employment.  Many  unmarried 
ladies  and  widows  have  time  to  reflect,  and  awaken  thought 
in  o'hers,  and  assist  in  the  promotion  of  schemes  for  the 
amelioration  of  their  race.  We  will  venture  to  assert  that 
there  are  very  few  who  have  made  themselves  more  useful 
in  the  world  than  single  women.  Their  efficiency  cannot  be 
denied.  They  are  an  important  part  of  society,  and,  in  the 
raising  of  children,  we  do  not  see  how  they  could  be  dis 
pensed  with.  How  many  have  supplied  the  place  of  care 
less,  busy,  or  sickly  mothers,  and  indifferent  servants ! 
Oiten  are  the  arms  of  little  ones  twined  about  auntie's  neck. 
And  often  is  she  called  upon  to  take  part  in  their  childish 
sports.  In  all  the  diseases  incident  to  childhood,  who  so 
ready  and  willing  as  the  kind  aunt?  When  the  mother  is 
sick,  who  so  well  able  to  take  her  place,  if  there  be  not 
a  grown  daughter?  And  in  after  years,  how  respectfully 
she  is  looked  up  to  as  a  second  mother  !  But  if  the  aunt  is 
not  a  good  woman,  she  must  not  expect  to  be  loved,  and 
respected,  by  her  nieces  and  nephews  when  they  are  grown. 
If  she  is  a  woman  of  a  bad  disposition,  or  incorrect  principles, 
her  presence  had  better  be  dispensed  with  in  the  family,  for 
the  children's  dispositions  will  be  formed  to  a  great  extent  by 
hers,  and  the  impress  she  will  make  upon  their  young  minds 
be,  not  only  for  time,  but  for  eternity.  It  is  well  for 


268  UNMARRIED    WOMEN  AND    WIDOWS. 

single  women  to  cultivate  those  graces  that  will  render  then! 
agreeable,  and  attractive,  when  the  bloom  and  freshness  of 
youth  are  gone. 

Woman  must  have  courage  to  do  what  is  right,  let 
fashion  and  custom  say  what  they  will.  She  must  have 
courage  to  act  independently  of  the  opinions  of  her  fellow- 
beings  when  they  conflict  with  the  approbation  of  GocL 
Whatever  can  be  done  for  ameliorating  the  condition  of  the 
poor,  ignorant,  and  degraded,  should  be  one  of  woman  fl 
studies.  The  next  thing  should  be  to  execute  what  thought 
and  judgment  dictate.  Combine  with  others  if  you  can  —  if 
not,  work  alonei  Never  let  pleasure  come  before  duty,  nor 
feeling  before  judgment.  Let  the  rich  treasures  of  your 
heart  be  given  to  the  desolate,  the  homeless,  the  orphan,  the 
widow  — ^  let  your  time  be  given  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to 
attend  the  sick,  to  cheer  the  sad.  Your  freedom  from 
family  cares  gives  you  time  for  the  performance  of  such 
duties.  Assist  in  building  up  and  aiding  benevolent  in* 
stitutions.  If  you  are  in  connection  with  a  church*  youf 
pastor  will  be  able  to  point  out  to  you  fields  of  labor.  If 
you  have  some  worthy  friend,  who  is  a  physician,  he  can 
tell  you  of  sick  and  needy  ones  that  require  attention.  If 
you  have  either  means,  or  leisure,  you  can  find  enough  to 
do.  If  you  have  leisure,  and  no  means,  perhaps*  by 
devoting  your  energies  to  some  branch  of  business,  you  may 
be  enabled  to  assist  young  brothers,  or  sisters,  to  acquire  an 
education,  or  fit  them  for  business,  or  aid  an  aged  parent* 
If  you  have  means,  and  no  leisure,  I  can  only  say,  I  hope 
your  wealth  is  as  profitably  employed,  as  you  would  wish 
when  you  go  to  render  a  final  account  of  property,  and 
talents,  and  opportunities*  Act  wisely  and  faithfully  in 
the  relation  you  sustain  to  your  neighbors,  your  fellow- 
beings,  and  your  God* 

"  It  requires  less  courage  to  live  single  now  than  it  did 
twenty  years  ago,"  remarked  an  old  lady  to  me.  Public 
opinion  has  changed  somewhat.  No  unmarried  woman 
need  feel  that  she  is  useless,  and  therefore  be  discontented. 
Work  will  open  to  her  if  she  strives  to  learn  her  duties. 


UNMARRIED    WOMEN  ANP    WIDOWS,          2G9 

God  "in  his  wisdom  has  made  even  the  lonely  female,  with 
out  home  ties,  to  fulfill  some  end,  to  perform  some  work,  to 
achieve  some  labor,  that  may  glorify  him,  and  benefit  her 
fellow-creatures,, 

"  All  the  means  of  action, 
The  shapeless  masses  —  the  materials, 
Lie  everywhere  about  us. 
What  we  need  is, 

The  celestial  fire,  to  change  the  flint 
Into  transparent  crystal,  bright  and  clear." 

So  numerous  are  the  cares  and  duties  of  mothers  of 
families,  that  single  women  and  widows  need  not  fear  com 
petition  with  them,  in  business.  Besides,  the  affection  so 
natural  to  a  mother  would  lead  her  to  devote  herself  to  the 
wants  and  comforts  of  her  children  before  all  other  claims. 
I  think  the  time  of  most  married  women  is  as  much  oc 
cupied  as  that  of  business  men,  aud  also  the  time  of  single 
women  dependent  on  their  own  efforts  for  a  livelihood. 

Miss  Muloch  says,  "  The  absolute  power  that  a  single 
woman  of  wealth  possesses  over  her  time  and  property  gives 
an  extensive  range  to  her  patriotic  and  charitable  exertions. 
Ladies  who  are  thus  circumstanced  are  the  properest 
patrons  of  public  undertakings  ;  they  are  the  natural  pro 
tectors  of  the  friendless,  and  the  proprietors  of  those  funds 
to  which  genius  and  indigence  have  a  right  to  apply.  Desti 
tute  of  nearer  ties,  and  unfettered  by  primary  obligations, 
the  whole  world  of  benevolence  affords  a  sphere  for  their 
actions,  and  the  whole  circle  of  science  offers  to  adorn  their 
minds.  It  seems,  indeed,  difficult  to  portray  a  more  en 
viable  being,  than  a  single  woman  possessed  of  affluence, 
who  has  passed  through  the  tempest  of  youthful  passions 
with  unstained  character,  uuvitiated  temper,  and  unfettered 
heart.  Let  us  allow  her  an  active  mind,  sound  judgment, 
good  principles,  and  bodily  activity  ;  and  we  must  rank  her 
with  those  orders  of  superior  beings,  who,  though  they 
neither  marry  nor  are  given  in  marriage,  are  ever  employed 
in  executing  the  will  and  studying  the  works  of  God." 


270  NEVER   TOO    OLD   TO  LEARN. 


NEVER  TOO   OLD   TO   LEARN. 

PERHAPS  some  will  say,  I  am  too  old  to  learn  a  pur 
suit,  or  make  myself  useful  in  any  special  way.  Miss 
Mary  Lyon,  the  founder  of  Mount  Holyoke  Seminary,  did  not 
see  any  work  to  which  she  was  particularly  called  until  after 
twenty  years  of  age,  nor  did  the  will  of  Providence  respect 
ing  her  own  individual  enterprise  for  his  glory,  and  the  good 
of  her  fellow-beings,  develop  itself  until  she  was  thirty-five. 

"  One  of  the  ablest  generals  of  the  French  revolution  was 
a  lawyer  till  the  age  of  thirty-five.  One  of  the  most  elo 
quent  lawyers  of  the  English  bar,  and  who  rose  to  lord 
chancellor,  was  a  navy  officer  till  he  was  forty.  One  of  the 
most  renowned  admirals  of  the  British  navy  was  never  on 
shipboard  till  he  was  fifty.  When  Dryden  came  up  to  Lon 
don,  over  thirty  years  of  age,  he  did  not  know  that  he  could 
write  a  line  of  poetry.  Milton  was  over  fifty  when  he  com 
menced  '  Paradise  Lost.'  Cowper's  '  Task '  was  not  written 
until  he  was  nearly  fifty." 

Pythagoras  said,  that  "  ability  and  necessity  dwell  near 
each  other."  So  to  those  who  are  backward  about  com 
mencing  an  undertaking,  I  would  say,  if  you  find  it  feasible, 
begin  at  ouce.  Time  and  opportunities  are  passing.  Life 
is  short.  We  are  blown  away  as  leaves  from  the  forest,  we 
are  lost  to  sight  as  pebbles  in  the  stream. 

If  a  woman  defers  to  fit  herself  for  an  occupation,  until 
every  prospect  of  marriage  is  gone,  it  may  be  too  late  to 
qualify  herself  efficiently.  Her  faculties  will  be  strengthened 
by  beginning  early,  and  habits  of  order  and  industry  will  be 
formed. 

Woman  should  awake  from  that  listless,  weary  apathy,  in 
which  she  has  so  long  slumbered.  Without  effort  she  can 
accomplish  nothing.  But  with  »  right  purpose,  earnestly 
carried  out,  she  will  receive  some  encouragement,  and  when 
she  has  gained  a  triumph  she  will  be  sure  to  find  plenty  to 
befriend  her, 


WOMEN  ATTAINING   TO  EXCELLENCY.        271 


WOMEN    CAPABLE    OF    ATTAINING    TO 
EXCELLENCY. 

FOR  the  full  development  of  a  human  being,  the  work 
ing  faculties  of  mind  must  be  taxed  to  the  utmost ; 
but  not  overtaxed,  lest  the  bowstring,  drawn  too  tightly, 
break. 

Method  is  as  necessary  to  success,  in  intellectual  labor,  as 
labor  itself.  More  than  half  the  labor  and  time  of  acquiring 
a  good  education  can  be  saved  by  having  a  judicious  and 
cultivated  adviser. 

Most  highly  educated  women  have  a  proud  satisfaction 
in  their  superiority,  but  very  little  real  satisfaction  in  gen 
eral  society,  particularly  of  their  own  sex,  whose  tastes  and 
pleasures  are,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  uncultivated,  trivial, 
and  unimproviug.  "  Literary  women  usually  either  go  to 
the  other  sex  for  sympathy  and  support,  or  immure  them 
selves,  and  live  without  congenial  society." 

The  native  strength  and  vigor  of  woman's  mind  are  not 
developed  and  brought  into  full  play  constantly,  like  man's. 
Indeed,  her  education  and  circumstances  have  not  hitherto 
seemed  to  call  for  it.  But  as  the  world  advances  in  wis 
dom  it  becomes  more  and  more  requisite,  and  where  there 
is  a  demand  for  anything  there  is  generally  a  supply  fur 
nished  ;  consequently  the  deficiency  is  being,  to  a  great 
extent,  remedied. 

What  has  been  done,  in  the  world  of  mind,  that  was  not 
accomplished  as  well  by  woman  as  man?  'Tis  true  the 
number  is  not  so  large  that  have  accomplished  anything  to 
distinguish  them  ;  but  that  is  because  women,  en  masse, 
have  not  had  as  great  advantages,  and  circumstances  have 
not  been  such  as  to  develop  any  special  traits.  But  we 


272         WOMEN  ATTAINING    TO   EXCELLENCY. 

think  what  women  have  done,  in  what  has  been  considered 
their  line  of  work,  has  been  as  well  done,  The  success 
women  attain  as  musicians  and  linguists  is  considered  by 
some  a  proof  of  their  ability  to  attain  superiority  in  purely 
artistic  and  intellectual  pursuits, 

Some  people  have  said  women  are  incapable  of  concen 
trating  their  thoughts  and  efforts,  There  are  sufficient 
reasons  for  it,  aside  from  any  natural  inferiority,  if  any 
exists.  Among  them  are  the  want  of  a  thorough  find  ex 
tensive  education,  and  the  discipline  acquired  thereby, 
neglect  of  useful  reflection,  the  light  and  frivolous  talk 
and  customs  of  fashionable  society,  the  discouragement 
received  by  women  until  recently,  from  men,  of  anything 
noble  and  intellectual  in  their  natures,  and  their  timidity 
in  undertaking  anything  averse  to  the  popular  opinion  of 
men,  the  fear  of  seeming  odd  and  conspicuous,  the  indolence 
of  some  women,  and  the  poor  health  of  others ;  also  the 
habit  cultivated  in  women  of  deferring  to  the  judgment  of 
others,  not  depending  on  their  own  sense  of  right  and  jus 
tice.  In  addition,  women  have  not  the  advantages  arising 
from  that  concentration  of  thought  and  action  acquired  by 
a  regular  and  definite  occupation. 

$Jrs»  Jameson  writes,  *'  I  have  heard  of  a  lady,  now,  or 
very  lately,  residing  near  Harvard  University,  who,  amid 
the  duties  and  cares  of  her  own  household,  fitted  many 
young  men  for  those  colleges  which  neither  she,  nor  any 
of  her  sex,  were,  as  students,  ever  allowed  to  enter,  For 
twenty  years  this  lady  has  been  accustomed  to  receive 
under  her  roof  those  students  of  the  university  who  were 
rusticated  for  various  offenses,  While  kneading  her  bread, 
or  plying  her  needle,  she  assisted  them  in  their  classical 
studies,  and  mended  their  mariners  at  the  same  time." 

u  Not  long  ago,  the  daughter  of  a  poor  widowed  seam 
stress  was  seen  reading  the  Jvoran,  iu  Arabic.  There  was 
but  one  man  in  the  town  who  could  do  the  same,  and  he 
was  a  learned  blacksmith." 

I  think  it  is  Horace  Smith  who  says,  "  If  our  females 
have  not  yet  attained  that  high  and  equal  station  in  society 


WOMEN  ATTAINING  TO  EXCELLENCY.      273 

to  which  they  are  assuredly  destined,  they  have  so  far  found 
their  rank  and  influence,  and  established  their  capacity  for 
the  very  highest  efforts  of  intellect,  that  any  attempt  to 
revive  the  defunct  jokes  upon  their  inferiority  would  be 
reckoned,  in  every  enlightened  company,  an  evidence  of 
supremely  bad  taste,  or  of  the  most  egregious  ignorance." 
John  Stuart  Mill*  the  distinguished  logician  and  political 
economist,  in  the  preface  to  his  new  essay  on  "  Liberty," 
which  he  dedicates  to  the  memory  of  a  wife  whom  he  has 
lately  lost,  attributes  to  her  all  the  inspiration,  and  part  of 
the  authorship,  of  all  that  is  best  in  his  writings,  for  many 
years  past.  A  woman  could  scarcely  ask  better  testimony 
to  the  capacity  of  the  sext 

Ariosto  says,  "  Women  have  attained  to  excellence  in 
every  art  to  which  they  have  applied  themselves."  The 
disabilities  through  which  they  have  acquired  learning  and 
fame  do  them  credit. 

In  the  ninth  volume  of  Vasari,  we  find  this  article  :  "  It 
is  a  notable  fact  that  in  every  pursuit  for  which  women 
have*  at  any  time*  chosen  to  prepare  themselves  by  study, 
they  have  always  succeeded  marvelously,  and  rendered 
themselves  more  than  famous.  It  would  be  easy  to  show 
this  by  examples  ;  and  certainly  at  no  period  can  the  fact 
be  more  easily  recognized  than  in  our  own  age,  when 
women  have  acquired  the  most  solid  fame,  not  in  letters 
only,  but  in  every  other  department.  It  would  almost 
seem  as  if  they  had  resolved  to  strip  our  sex  of  its  vaunt 
of  superiority^  by  entering  in  the  field  of  toil,  with  their 
white  and  tender  hands,  and  forcing  the  rough  marble,  and 
the  rugged  iron,  to  aid  them  in  accomplishing  their  object, 
and  winning  their  laurels. 

"  Minerva,  Diana,  Ceres,  Psyche,  the  Muses,  the  Graces, 
and  the  Fates  were  all  women.  When  Pythagoras,  in  his 
desire  to  make  proselytes  of  the  ignorant,  and  extend  the 
influence  of  his  sect,  opened  his  first  school  of  philosophy 
in  Italy,  the  friend  of  wisdom  was  accompanied  by-female 
disciples.  His  wife  and  daughter  taught  in  his  classes,  and 
fifteen  other  women,  of  high  capacities  and  attainments,  — 
18 


274         WO  if  UN  ATTAINING   TO  EXCELLENCY. 

his  pupils,  —  gave  grace  to  bis  stern  trutbs,  and  became  tbe 
persuasive  missionaries  of  doctrines  which  preached  restraint 
over  all  the  passions,  and  the  supremacy  of  reason  in  all 
things.  Aspasia,  who  improved  the  eloquence,  while  she 
perverted  the  politics  of  Pericles,  lisped  her  Atticisms  in  the 
ears  of  Socrates,  till  she  became  rather  his  teacher  than  his 
disciple." 

"  The  commanding  influence  of  Deborah,  the  poetic  genius 
of  Sappho,  the  martial  spirit  of  Zenobia,  the  administrative 
ability  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  statesman-like  character  of 
Margaret  of  Denmark,  the  heroic  courage  and  achievements 
of  Joan  of  Arc,  Flora  Macdouald,  and  Grace  Darling,  the 
versatile  talents  of  Madame  de  Stael,  the  classical  learning 
of  Madame  Dacier,  the  scientific  attainments  of  Mrs.  Somer- 
ville,  not  to  mention  a  hundred  others,  stand,  not  only  as  an 
evidence  of  what  woman  has  done  in  all  the  walks  which 
man  has  claimed  as  his  own,  but  as  an  argument  for  what 
she  could  do,  if  all  those  walks  were  as  open  to  her  as  they 
are  to  him.'* 


ADVICE  TO  READERS.  275 


ADVICE  TO  READERS   OF  THIS   BOOK. 

would  advise  women  about  to  engage  in  an  occupa- 
tion  to  consult  one  or  more  male  friends,  in  whose 
judgment  they  can  have  confidence,  and  who,  not  being  en 
gaged  in  the  business  they  wish  to  pursue,  would  not  be  influ 
enced  by  motives  of  self-interest.  We  know  that  many  of 
those  who  stand  first  in  their  vocation  will  pursue  a  straight 
forward,  kind,  and  liberal  line  of  conduct, 

My  young  friends,  it  will  be  necessary  in  the  selection  of 
an  employment  to  exercise  your  taste  and  judgment.  Your 
health,  your  temperament  and  talents,  with  many  othei 
things,  are  to  be  taken  into  consideration.  Remember  you 
must  advance  gradually  —  as  the  child  first  crawls,  then 
steps,  then  walks — so  by  long  and  patient  labor  you  may 
reach  your  standard.  But  be  not  discouraged.  There  is 
no  silent  resting-place  for  the  powers  of  the  soul.  You  may 
make  advances  without  being  conscious  of  it  yourself.  Be 
courageous  and  strong.  Let  not  false  pride  deter  you  from 
suitable  fields  of  labor.  Keep  in  view  your  object.  Jf  poor 
or  afflicted  relatives  are  dependent  on  you,  let  that  stimulate, 
if  dependent  for  your  own  support,  let  that  buoy  you  up.  Be 
kind  to  those  that  meet  with  you  daily  for  the  same  purpose. 
Encourage  and  sustain  each  other.  When  weary  and  worn, 
faint  not  —  bear  up.  Seriously  review  the  past  —  fearlessly 
anticipate  the  future.  If  there  be  strangers  in  your  number, 
deal  gently  with  them.  Encourage  those  striving  to  do 
right.  Let  time  be  measured  by  the  good  you  do,  not  by 
hours  and  days.  It  requires  labor,  patience,  and  persever 
ance,  to  acquire  proficiency  in  anything.  Prepare  yourselves 
to  perform  your  duties  well.  Purity  of  heart,  propriety  of 
conduct,  and  self-respect,  will  earn  for  you,  from  any  virtu 
ous  employer,  a  fair  reputation.  To  any  who  select  and 


276  ADVICE  TO  READERS. 

enter  upon  a  pursuit,  with  a  determination  to   persevere,  I 
bid  you  Gael  speed,     If  you  wish  to  maintain  your  proper 
position  in  society,  to  command  the  respect  of  your  friends 
now,  and  those  connected  with  you  in  future,  you  should  read, 
think,  study,  try  to  be  wise,  to  know  your  own  plans  and 
keep  them,  your  own  duties,  and  do  them.     You  should  try 
to  understand  everything  you  see  and  hear  ;  to  act  and  judge 
for  yourselves  ;  to  remember  you  each  have  a  soul  of  your 
own  to  account  for,  a  mind  of  your  own  to  improve.    When 
vou  once  get  these  ideas  fixed,  and  learn  to  act  upon  them, 
*k  no  man,  or  set  of  men,  no  laws,  customs,  or  combinations 
of  them,  can  seriously  oppress  you."     By  books,  observa* 
tiqn,  and  intercourse  with  well-informed  and  virtuous  peo 
ple,  you  will  accumulate  new  thoughts.      Store  then*  up  as 
incorruptible  treasures.     They  will  be  to  you  more  valuable 
than  the  costly  gems  of  India,  or  the  rich  productions  of  a 
tropical    clime.      Cultivate  the  habit  of   close,  continuous 
thought,  on  some  profitable  and  pleasant  subject,     YOU  must 
think  and  work,  and  work  and   think.     In   the  crucible  of 
the  alchemist,  by  a  wise  and  judicious  use  of  minerals,  and 
acids,  and  alkalies,  a  change  is  produced  that  furnishes  most 
valuable   results.     Let  your  mind  be  the  crucible  in  which 
acquisitions  from  the  wise  and  great,  united  with  your  own 
reflections,  shall  generate  sentiments,  and  n^e  real  their 
practicability.     Do  not  go  in  debt,  without  some  certain  as 
surance  that  you  can  pay  what  you  owe,  at  some  definite 
time.     If  you  do,  the  debt  will  hang  as  an  incubus  on  your 
conscience,  and  either  paralyze  your  exertions,  or  c^use  you 
to  overtax  them,  and  injure  your  health.     Money  matters 
have  cut  many  a  Gordian  knot  of  love  and  friendship,  and 
proved  an  eternal  barrier  between  some  of  the  nearest  relar 
lives,     TO  labor  #>?  supplying  the  every-day  wants  of  life 
may  spem  very  material  to  some  people,  but  in  my  opinion, 
it  is  the  first  thing  to  be  considered.     You  will  have  more 
cause  to  despise  yourself  if  you  remain  dependent  on  others 
than  laboring  to   earn   your  own  bread.     I  mean,  if  you 
have  health  and  strength,  and  are  able  to.  employ  your  own 
powers. 


VARIETY  OF  OCCUPATIONS.  277 


VARIETY  OF   OCCUPATIONS   DESIRABLE. 


Tf^IIE  time  required  to  obtain  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
JL  any  one  branch  of  business  determines  the  expediency 
of  having  the  attention  of  the  young  early  directed  to  the 
selection  of  an  employment.  Yet  we  would  not  advocate 
the  plan  adopted  in  some  parts  of  Europe  of  setting  aside 
children  from  the  cradle  to  certain  employments. 

Many  of  the  poor  suffer  from  the  want  of  information 
that  might  be  given  them  by  intelligent  people.  Especially 
is  it  so  in  regard  to  business  matters.  The  selfishness  mani 
fested  in  this  way  is  very  great,  and  the  indifference,  when  the 
most  intelligent  of  the  two  individuals  could  experience  no 
loss  by  it,  is  disheartening.  But  the  poor  often  feel  a  delicacy 
about  troubling  others  with  their  affairs,  and  in  that  way 
suffer  unnecessarily. 

We  doubt  whether  there  is  any  branch  of  business  whose 
object  is  not  to  supply  some  want,  either  real  or  imaginary. 
The  trades,  and  mercantile  pursuits,  are  mostly  devoted  to 
supplying  wants  of  the  body  —  but  the  making  and  selling 
of  books  has  for  its  object,  supplying  the  necessities  of 
mind.  The  professional  devotee  provides  mostly  for  the 
wants  of  the  mind  —  yet  not  exclusively  —  for  the  physi 
cian's  province  is  to  treat  the  body,  and,  so  far  as  possible, 
the  mind,  if  it  be  diseased. 

The  knowledge  that  a  professional  person  needs,  is  differ 
ent  from  that  required  for  a  merchant,  and  that  of  a  mer 
chant  different  from  that  essential  to  a  mechanic,  and  that 
of  a  mechanic  varies  considerably  from  that  necessary  for  a 
manufacturer,  while  that  of  a  manufacturer  is  as  far  removed 
from  that  of  a  farmer. 

No  person  in  a  civilized  country  confines  himself  in  his 


278  VARIETY  OF  OCCUPATIONS. 

business  to  meet  merely  his  own  wants.  If  he  did  he 
would  not  be  able  to  secure  the  products  of  other  men's 
labor.  Each  one,  as  a  general  thing,  engages  in  that  busi* 
ness  to  which  he  finds  himself  best  adapted,  and  in  which 
circumstances  throw  him* 

Different  kinds  of  knowledge  are  adapted  to  different  pur 
suits.  We  would  not  for  a  moment  discourage  the  acquisi 
tion  of  varied  knowledge  by  any  one,  but,  as  a  man  loves 
his  own  country  best,  so  it  is  natural  that  he  should  best  love 
to  acquire  knowledge  pertaining  to  his  own  branch  of  busi 
ness,  thereby  elevating  himself,  and  it,  and  gaining  the  bene 
fit  arising  from  such  knowledge* 

Business  people  must,  to  some  extent,  be  machines -—yet 
not  machines  incapable  of  improvement*  Spirit,  ingenuity, 
and  industry  will  gain  for  them  many  a  patent. 

The  irregular  performance  of  uncultivated  talent  rarely 
amounts  to  much*  It  is  the  persevering  thought  and  labor 
that  follow  from  day  to  day,  that  accomplish  even  the  most 
of  those  great  achievements  that  are  often  attributed  to 
genius  or  talent. 

The  tastes,  habits,  and  circumstances  of  women  contribute 
to  render  a  variety  of  employments  desirable.  The  occu 
pations  of  women  vary  somewhat  in  different  cities,  yet  iri 
all  American  cities  the  number  is  small. 

Hitherto  women  have  been  confined  almost  entirely  to 
teaching,  keeping  boarders,  sewing,  in  factory  work,  or  do 
mestic  service,  for  earning  a  livelihood.  The  first  employ 
ment  to  which  an  educated  woman  resorts,  as  most  genteel, 
and  requiring  no  capital,  is  that  of  teaching.  Hence  the 
profession  is  crowded.  We  believe  that  the  supply  of  teach 
ers  fully  meets  the  demand.  We  are  sorry  to  see  the  im 
pression  being  so  often  given  by  editors  and  others,  that 
teachers  are  needed  and  in  demand;  because  we  think 
many  ladies  of  limited  means  are  thereby  induced  to  spend 
what  little  they  have  in  preparing  themselves  to  be  teachers  ; 
and  when  they  are  qualified,  ten  chances  to  one,  if  they  get  a 
school,  it  is  only  for  three  mouths  out  of  the  twelve,  and  that 
not  regularly.  A  precarious  subsistence  is  obtained,  and, 


VARIETY  OF  OCCUPATIONS.  279 

to  those  without  homes,  certainly  a  most  unreliable  one, 
We  love  to  see  ladies  educated,  and  would  gladly  see  them 
all  qualified  to  teach  ;  but  we  do  not  like  to  see  inducements 
thrown  out  to  qualify  themselves,  under  the  impression  that 
there  are  hundreds  of  places  vacant  only  because  teach 
ers  cannot  be  obtained.  There  is  no  employment  moro 
uncertain  than  that  of  \\  teacher,  Many  causes  tend  to  pro 
duce  this.  Among  them  are  low  wages,  dissatisfaction  ou 
the  part  of  teacher  or  people,  ignorant  and  inefficient  school 
trustees,  the  fluctuating  condition  of  country  schools  at  dif? 
ferent  seasons  of  the  year,  a  large  mass  of  people  not  know-* 
ing  the  advantages  of  an  education,  and  the  want  of  endowed 
institutions  of  learning,  If  a  lady  has  sufficient  capital  to 
establish  herself  in  a  school  of  her  own,  she  will  be  fur  more 
likely  to  succeed.  As  new  places  are  settled,  and  popula-? 
tiou  advances,  there  will,  no  doubt,  be  some  openings  ;  but 
they  will  require  teachers  wilHng  to  endure  the  hardships 
and  privations  incident  to  a  new  country,  Many  educated 
women  in  the  South,  deprived  by  the  war  of  former  re 
sources,  will  doubtless  engage  in  teaching. 

J  should  love  to  see  thrown  open  to  won^en  the  door  of 
every  trade  and  profession  in  which  they  are  capable  of 
expending  their  talents  and  energies.  Women  should  not 
he.-itute  to  enter  any,  and  every  lucrative  occupation,  taut 
they  consider  suitable  for  then},  and  adapted  to 


280  PIONEERS, 


PIONEERS. 

that  she  who  did  these  things,  was  born 
to  do  them  ;  claims  her  license  in  her  work." 

The  young  need  the  advice  and  encouragement  of  those 
older  and  wiser,  better  established  in  character,  and  more 
determined  in  purpose.  We  fully  believe  that  woman  can 
attain  excellence,  and  even  distinction,  by  constant  applica 
tion  in  almost  any  branch  of  literature,  or  art,  to  which  her 
talents  may  tend.  Opportunities  must  be  embraced,  and 
circumstances  seized  upon,  by  those  women  who  would  be 
pioneers  in  new  branches  of  employment. 

Every  great  and  good  undertaking  ordinarily  begins,  like 
the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  with  a  humble,  unnoticed  growth  ; 
and  the  greater  the  enterprise  to  be  achieved,  the  greater 
are  the  obstacles  to  be  surmounted  by  its  pioneer  laborers. 

Too  long  have  women  stood  back,  waiting  for  men  to 
invite  them  to  their  comparatively  easy  vocations,  expecting 
them  to  seek  such  as  .were  more  congenial  to  their  stronger 
and  more  robust  natures.  And  long  may  they  continue  to 
wait.  To  such  I  would  say,  Press  on.  If  you  see  an  em 
ployment  suitable  for  a  woman  that  you  wish  to  enter,  and 
that  woman  has  not  hitherto  engaged  in,  get  some  female 
acquaintance  to  join  you,  and  enter  upon  its  duties  without 
hesitation.  Do  not  stand  back  for  some  one  to  lead  the  way. 

"Who  would  be  free 
Themselves  must  strike  the  blow." 

Dorothea  Dix,  Florence  Nightingale,  Mary  Lyon,  Mary 
Carpenter,  Madame  Luce,  Caroline  Chisholm,  and  Elizabeth 
Blackwell,  struck  out  distinct  paths  for  themselves. 

Woman  is  less  hampered  by  custom,  by  the  convention- 


PIONEERS,  281 

alities  of  society,  and  the  distinctions  of  rank  in  this  country 
than  in  most  others.  Consequently,  she  can  with  less  sui> 
prise  from  the  world,  and  less  derogation,  enter  into  such 
occupations  as  seem  fitted  for  her. 

Cheerfulness,  and  a  desire  to  make  every  event  wear  tho 
best  face,  will  greatly  promote  good.  An  easy  conscience 
will  give  you  a  foretaste  of  heavenly  joys,  Jf  you  feel  that 
your  mission  is  a  noble,  a  heavenly  one,  persevere.  It  may 
involve  many  sacrifices,  and  much  expense.  It  is  better, 
however,  if  you  can,  to  bear  taunts  and  reproaches,  than 
give  up,  if  you  may  accomplish  good  thereby.  We  know 
not  how  to  measure  our  souls  until  we  have  suffered, 
Even  then  the  gauge  is  imperfect  that  measures  their 
depths.  Too  many  are  apt  to  be  discouraged  in  any  new 
undertaking.  It  is  only  by  experiment  that  the  feasibility 
and  advantage  of  any  plan  may  be  arrived  at.  But  with 
lofty  purposes,  and  noble  aims,  you  may  accomplish  very 
much.  Yet  forget  not  that  steady,  and  perseveriu^  industry, 
can  alone  lead  to  eminence  of  any  kind.  This  is  beautifully 
brought  out  by  Dr.  Johnson,  in  3  dream  of  the  Rambler, 
called  "  The  Garden  of  Hope."  It  represents  JJope  as  a 
garden,  with  two  gates,  kept  by  Reason  and  Fancy.  Tho 
path  from  the  gate  of  Reason  is  craggy,  slippery  and  wind 
ing,  and  termed  the  "  Strait  of  Pitficulty,"  Jjut  few  reach 
the  throne  of  Hope.  Some  of  those  that  do  are  disappointed 
when  they  receive  the  gift  which  Hope  has  promised.  The 
rest  retire  with  their  prize,  and  are  led  by  Wisdom  to  the 
bowers  of  Content.  Auy  can  enter  the  gate  of  Fancy,  but 
unlike  tho  rest,  they  enter  the  vale  of  Idleness.  Here  they 
rove  about,  a  gay  and  happy  party  ;  but  in  a  little  while 
they  are  much  frightened  by  the  appearance  of  two  dreadful 
monsters  —  Age  and  Want. 

"If  women,"  said  a.  gentleman  to  me,  "  find  themselves 
capable  of  conducting  mercantile  affairs,  and  have  the 
capital,  they  can  succeed.  Men  cannot  prevent  them,  and 
will  not ;  but  women,  to  obtain  a  hold,  must  make  the  effort, 
and  ask  for  it.  It  will  not  be  granted  from  mere  courtesy. 
It  makes  no  difference  what  people  think  of  your  efforts. 


282  PIONEERS. 

Everybody  is  subject  to  criticism,  all  his  or  her  life.  If 
you  succeed  it  is  all  right,  if  not  it  makes  no  difference  — 
nobody  cares.  While  using  the  means  you  must  look  with 
hope  to  success.  If  you  are  successful  those  that  are  not 
will  envy  you  —  if  you  are  ambitious  those  that  are  not  will 
hate  you.'* 

A  woman  satisfied  with  her  own  attainments  is  in  a  fair 
way  to  recede  from  her  stand-point.  With  such  a  content 
her  mind  will  lose  its  vigor,  and  her  energies  flag.  That 
anything  is  merely  so,  because  it  has  always  been  so,  is  no 
reason  it  should  be  so  any  longer.  Changes  are  constantly 
taking  place  in  opinions,  habits,  and  customs.  Men  and 
women  dread  to  undertake  what  is  new  and  untried. 
Resolution,  well  directed,  is  a  beacon  light  to  guide  us  to 
happiness,  virtue,  wealth,  influence,  and  position.  Every 
act  is  a  triumph,  or  a  failure.  Every  man  and  every  wo 
man  either  conquer,  or  are  conquered.  Keep  up  your 
energy,  and  decision  of  character.  Give  not  way  to  languor 
and  nervousness.  Form  high  resolves,  and  rest  not  until 
they  are  accomplished. 

Of  all  other  things  I  would  impress  upon  women  the 
necessity  of  holding  their  own  —  not  submitting  to  imposi 
tion  in  the  slightest  degree,  if  it  is  possible  to  avoid  it,  for 
this  will  be  increased  to  injustice,  and  oppression,  until  a 
woman's  character  is  lost.  If  you  have  means,  prosecute 
a  slanderer ;  if  not,  get  some  one  to  give  him  a  severe 
chastisement. 

Some  people  were  made  for  head  work.  Let  such  do 
head  work.  Let  those  that  were  not,  do  hand  work.  Some 
can  and  do  combine  the  two.  More  progress  could  be  made 
if  women  were  more  self-reliant.  They  will  not  decide,  and 
do  for  themselves.  Many  of  them  want  to  live  without 
labor.  Yet  in  this  respect  they  do  not  differ  from  some  of 
the  other  sex.  The  strongest  in  physical  force,  have,  until 
late  years,  always  governed  ;  but  now  that  the  world  is 
getting  rid  of  this  disposition,  woman  may  look  up,  arid  put 
in  her  claim  to  the  consideration  of  justice. 

Intelligent  women  will  best  succeed  as  pioneers  in  new 


PIONEERS.  283 

branches  of  labor,  for  they  can  more  ably,  and  courageously, 
protect  and  sustain  their  rights. 

A  friend  of  mine,  after  citing  many  instances,  within  her 
personal  knowledge,  of  women  who  have  acquired  a  desirable 
position  in  society,  and  rendered  themselves  pecuniarily  in 
dependent,  says,  "  I  have  so  much  faith  in  women  being 
able  to  do  whatever  they  choose  to  undertake  with  earnest 
ness,  industry,  and  perseverance,  that  did  my  taste  or  my 
circumstances  require  it,  I  would  go  into  any  business  what 
ever  without  the  least  fear  of  any  man  or  men  interfering  to 
deprive  me  of  any  advantages  my  capital,  energy,  or  talents 
might  command." 

Women  of  talent  should  not  be  content  to  occupy  merely 
subordinate  departments  of  labor,  nor  devote  their  time  and 
talents  to  executing  only  mechanical  drudgery.  Let  them 
qualify  themselves  for  superior  work,  then  take  such  a  posi 
tion  as  their  abilities  will  command,  and  with  dignity  and 
firmness,  maintain  that  position. 

Dr.  Channing  says  of  man,  —  and  he  doubtless  meant  to 
gome  extent  woman  also,  —  "Man  owes  his  growth,  his 
energy,  chiefly  to  that  striving  of  the  will,  that  conflict  with 
difficulty,  which  we  call  etfort.  Easy,  pleasant  work  does  not 
make  robust  minds,  does  not  give  men  a  consciousness  of 
their  powers,  does  not  train  them  to  endurance,  to  persever 
ance,  to  steady  force  of  will,  that  force  without  which  all 
other  acquisitions  avail  nothing.  Manual  labor  is  a  school 
in  which  men  are  placed  to  get  energy  of  purpose  and  char 
acter.  I  believe  that  difficulties  are  more  important  to  the 
human  mind  than  what  we  call  assistants.  Work  we  all 
must,  if  we  mean  to  bring  out  our  perfect  nature." 

Women  must  qualify  themselves  for  the  exercise  of  more 
important  power,  if  they  expect  to  wield  it ;  they  must  better 
train  their  minds,  and  inform  themselves,  cultivate  their 
higher  and  better  nature,  and  submit  to  the  guidance  of 
heavenly  .power.  When  they  would  snatch  from  the 
Almighty  the  reins  of  government,  their  career  is  likely 
to  be  a  more  wild  and  dangerous  one,  than  when  Phaethon 
attempted  to  manage  the  chariot  of  Helios,  But  with 


284  PIONEERS. 

reliance  upon  onr  heavenly  Father  he  will  guard,  and 
guide,  and  give  that  trustful  obedience,  quiet  faith,  and 
holy  love,  that  may  enable  them  to  go  on  their  way  re 
joicing, 

By  keeping  one  purpose  in  view,  and  striving  persevering- 
ly  to  accomplish  it,  yon  will  be  likely  to  succeed.  If  you 
fail,  remember  the  good  things  of  this  world  are  not  always 
proportioned  to  the  merits  of  the  recipient.  Do  not  expect 
to  effect  a  great  deal  at  once.  By  benefiting  the  individual 
members  of  society  you  benefit  society  at  large.  Do  not 
falter  or  sink  because  your  ideas,  or  plans,  are  opposed,  or 
ridiculed.  The  most  valuable  ideas,  and  important  discov 
eries,  have  met  with  a  similar  fate,  but  in  most  cases  eventu 
ally  received  the  merit  due  them.  When  worn,  weary, 
aud  fainting,  under  the  trials  and  burdens  of  life,  look,  poor 
pilgrim,  to  thy  better  rest  in  heaven,  Remember  the  Saviour, 
that  trod  a  rough,  weary  pathway  before  you.  Be  not 
frightened  by  the  storm  cloud,  but  press  on,  and  the  sun 
light  will  gladden  your  pathway.  Place  yourself  as  far  as 
possible  under  good  influences,  and  with  such  people  as  will 
encourage  you  in  doing  right.  Cultivate  calmness  of  mind, 
and  firmness  of  nerve,  If  controlled  only  by  impulse,  not 
by  reflection  and  judgment,  success  will  be  doubtful.  Sum 
mon  all  your  industry  to  labor,  and  your  courage  to  bear 
privations.  Be  patient,  and  your  reward  will  be  likely  to 
come  at  last. 

"  No  privileged  class  shall  say  to  thee,  Touch  not  that 
honor,  set  not  thy  foot  upon  that  eminence  ;  it  belongs  to  us. 
Thou  art  free,  free  to  develop  thyself  as  thy  will  shall 
prompt,  aud  thy  powers  permit.  This  world  is  God's  world, 
and  IJe  hath  given  thee  so  much  of  it  as  thou,  with  thy  best 
faculties,  canst  conquer," 

Contribute  all  in  your  power  to  the  general  harmony  and 
happiness  of  society.  Let  not  censure,  or  misfortune,  or 
trouble,  cast  a  shadow  over  your  spirits ;  but  bear  up 
perseveringly,  decidedly,  and  to  the  best  of  your  ability, 
until,  in  the  noontide  glory  of  eternity,  you  may.  forget  the 
past,  and  rapturously  enjoy  the  present. 


IDLENESS  OF  MEN  NOT  EXCUSED,  285 


EMPLOYMENT   OF   WOMEN   DOES   NOT   EX- 
CUSE  IDLENESS   OF  MEN, 

THE  flagrant  sins  of  men,  and  neglect  to  provide  for  the 
wants  of  their  families,  deserve  punishment  in  Chris 
tian  countries.  Too  much  license  has  been  given  to  the 
bad  passions  of  evil  men.  They  should  be  controlled  aud 
restrained  by  the  laws  of  good  men,  and  therefore  wise 
and  good  men  only  should  be  elected  to  the  office  of  law 
makers, 

It  is  not  necessary  that  men  should  be  idle,  and  good  for 
nothing,  because  their  wives,  sisters,  and  daughters  are 
industrious.  No,  it  should  only  incite  them  to  more  ac 
tivity  and  energy. 

Surely  no  conscientious  person  can  yield  to  indolence, 
who  considers  how  long  it  takes  to  prepare  for  efficient 
and  well-directed  labor,  how  much  should  be  accomplished 
in  the  world,  and  how  short  life  is, 

I  have  been  told  that  the  French  women,  who  do  what 
has  been  considered  men's  work  in  this  country,  have  lazy 
husbands,  who  spend  their  time  roaming  from  one  wine* 
shop,  and  place  of  amusement,  to  another.  But  this  is 
true  only  to  a  limited  extent.  Many  women,  particularly 
storekeepers,  prefer  such  occupation,  and  employ  others  to 
perform  their  household  duties.  The  French  women  feel  a 
warm  interest  in  the  business  of  their  husbands,  and  have 
a  better  knowledge  of  that  business  than  the  women  of 
most  countries.  We  suppose  there  are  few  that  will  at 
tribute  that  state  existing  among  the  ouvrieres  of  Paris  to 
women  engaging  in  nouTdomestic  pursuits,  Jt  arises  from, 
different  causes.  In  France  there  is  a  surplus  of  females 
in  the  humbler  classes,  and  these  females  are  better  edt^ 


280  IDLENESS  OF  MEN  NOT  EXCUSED. 

Gated  and  more  refined  than  the  men,  The  redundance 
of  women  makes  the  competition  of  female  labor  so  great 
that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  support  themselves  de* 
ceutly  on  the  proceeds  of  their  labor.  So  the  principal 
cause  of  their  alleged  immorality  is  a  want  of  constant 
employment  at  fair  wages.  Another  cause  for  the  condi 
tion  of  the  workwomen  of  France  lies  in  the  difference  of 
their  moral  training,  There  is  said  to  be  as  great  a  differ* 
euce  in  the  moral  tone  of  the  rich  and  influential  classes  of 
French  and  American  women  as  in  the  lower  classes  of  the 
two  countries.  Nor  is  it  only  to  France  that  our  remarks 
will  apply  in  regard  to  labor  and  wages.  Jn  most  parts  of 
Europe  many  women  are  engaged  -in  the  most  severe  em-* 
ployrnents,  because  the  wages  of  their  fathers  and  husbands 
will  not  suffice  to  buy  the  necessaries  of  life.  A  nation  will 
pot  inevitably  fall  into  the  French  manner  of  turning  most 
labor  and  business  transactions  into  the  hands  of  women, 
because  the  majority  of  them  are  in  possession  of  an  em* 
ployment  by  which  to  render  themselves  independent. 

We  think  it  is  Thackrah  who  makes  the  following  state* 
meut :  "  We  imagined,  from  some  general  observations,  that 
the  lower  the  mental  condition  of  a  branch,  the  great  en  the 
proportion  of  shop-girls  married  by  the  artisans  belonging 
to  it.  To  determine  this  point,  we  made  it  a  particular 
inquiry,  and  found  such  generally  to  be  the  fact.  The 
shoprgirls,  from  their  ability  to  earn  something,  are  re-» 
garded  by  the  ignorant  and  thoughtless  artisan  as  possess 
ing  peculiar  advantages,  worthy  of  his  consideration," 

That  women  can  understand  and  assist  a  man  in  his  occu* 
pation  should  be  an  incentive,  not  a  drawback.  Such  women 
know  the  circumstances  of  their  husbands,  and  how  to  regu 
late  their  expenditures  accordingly.  At  the  death  of  the 
husband  they  know  exactly  the  condition  of  liis  business, 
and  how  to  carry  it  on.  If  American  women  were  kept 
acquainted,  by  their  husbauds,  with  the  state  of  their  pecu- 
affairs,  there  might  be  less  domestic  trouble, 


WOMEN  NOT  TAKE  MEN'S   EMPLOYMENTS.  287 


WOMEN    SHOULD    NOT    TAKE    MEN'S    EM 
PLOYMENTS. 

WE  would  not  like  to  see  educated  women  engage  in 
any  occupation  that  would  call  for  the  least  sacrifice 
of  delicacy  or  propriety,  nor  any  at  war  with  the  ordinary 
physical  weakness  of  the  sex.  But  there  are  women  Avho 
possess,  or  acquire,  as  great  physical  power  as  men.  If  such 
.wish  to  engage  in  any  of  the  pursuits  of  men,  we  say,  let 
them  by  all  means  — that  is,  if  men  in  the  lighter  occupa 
tions  will  continue  to  retain  their  places,  and  exclude  women. 
With  short-sighted  selfishness,  some  men  monopolize  the 
labor  market,  and  block  up  avenues  of  employment  which 
women  might  well  and  worthily  tread.  Men  have  not  given 
to  women  the  protection  aud  support  that  as  a  consequence 
are  made  necessary  by  this  selfish  monopoly ;  nor  has  gov 
ernment  taken  cognizance  of  the  matter,  or  done  anything 
to  remedy  it. 

\V^e  ask  why  women  are  denied  the  benefits  that  accrue 
from  a  personal  knowledge  and  prosecution  of  remunerative 
occupations  ?  "  The  danger  of  driving  men  out,"  is  the  reply 
from  some.  It  is  only  a  plea  for  selfishness  aud  injustice. 
Yet  it  is,  and  ever  has  been  so,  with  reforms.  Selfishness 
has  said  nothing  ought  to  be  done,  nothing  could  be  done 
- — when  it  did  not  wisli  it  done.  It  is  a  prompting  of  tho 
Evil  One.  The  moral  courage  produced  in  men  by  overcom 
ing,  to  some  extent,  their  selfishness,  would  be  worth  the 
effort  of  accomplishing  it,  aside  from  any  other  benefit. 

As  a  general  thing,  u  woman,  no  sooner  than  man,  will 
enter  vocations  forbidden  her  by  temperament,  lack  of  apti 
tude,  or  want  of  time,  and  it  is  therefore  quite  as  unneces 
sary  to  interdict  them  to  her  as  to  those  who  are  unfit  to 
enter  them," 


288      THE  RESULT  OF  SUCH  APPROPRIATION. 


THE  RESULT  OF  SUCH    APPROPRIATION. 

SHOULD  women  engage  in  many  of  the  avocations  now- 
occupied  by  men,  it  would  turn  the  energies  of  some 
men  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Trades  and  manufactures,  it 
is  well  known,  are  more  fluctuating  in  this  country  than 
agriculture.  There  is  less  pauperism  in  agricultural  than 
in  other  communities.  Vast  tracts  of  land  are  lying  waste 
for  the  want  of  cultivation,  in  the  new  states  and  territories 
of  the  West.  Under  the  homestead  law,  a  settler  can  enter 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  laud,  paying  about  eighteen 
dollars  for  office  fees,  and  by  cultivating  it,  at  the  end  of 
five  years  receive  it  as  his  own,  from  the  government.  By 
preemption,  he  can,  after  cultivating  it  a  year,  buy  it  at  a 
low  price.  If  single  men  would  migrate,  and  engage  in  such 
labor,  the  profits,  in  a  few  years^  would  enable  many  of 
them  to  marry,  that  now  cannot,  from  want  of  the  where 
withal  to  support  a  wife. 

The  desire  to  live  by  some  occupation,  imagined  genteel, 
having  a  fictitious  estimate,  because  of  its  freedom  from 
severe  manual  labor,  is  a  fertile  source  of  evil  in  the  rising 
generation  of  our  couutry. 

To  the  number  of  men  now  engaged  in  marine  expedi 
tions,  scientific  researches,  mining  operations,  and  various 
other  enterprises,  many  more  could  be  added.  They  would 
bring,  to  hundreds  so  engaged,  competency  aud  independence. 
The  mineral  resources  of  America  are  vast,  aud  as  yet,  but 
partially  developed. 

Both  men  and  women  of  the  working  and  middle  class  are 
now  mostly  supported  by  the  wages  paid  for  men's  labor. 
If  some  women  engage  in  industrial  labor,  the  only  differ 
ence  will  be,  that  they  will  earn  what  they  have,  instead  of 


THE  RESULT  OF  SUCU  APPROPRIATION.     289 

depending  on  the  uncertainty  of  male  relatives   earning  it 
for  them. 

"  The  real  and  only  consequences  of  women  engaging  in 
men's  pursuits  would  be,  1st,  An  increase  of  the  productive 
power  of  the  country;  and,  2d,  A  slight  readjustment  of 
wages."  For  this  increased  production,  there  will  proba 
bly  J>e  an  increased  demand,  as  many  people  will  be  able 
to  purchase  more,  and  the  desire  to  purchase  will  increase 
with  their  ability  to  do  so.  It  will  be  the  means  of  either 
cheapening  the  results  of  labor,  or  of  lessening  the  amount 
of  labor  performed  by  each  individual ;  that  is,  the  quantity 
done  by  each  individual,  will  be  more  nearly  equal.  For 
instance,  instead  of  one  man  working  teu  hours,  and  another 
two,  each  will  work  the  average  of  ten  and  two,  which  are 
six  hours.  It  has  been  estimated,  that  if  every  individual 
able  to  work  spent  four  or  live  hours  daily,  in  well-directed 
toil,  it  would  be  sufficient  to  meet  the  wauts  of  all  mankind  ; 
while  if  the  same  people  should  labor  eight  hours  out  of  the 
twenty-four,  and  the  proceeds  of  said  work  were  evenly 
distributed,  it  would  enable  every  laborer  to  command,  not 
merely  the  comforts,  but  even  the  luxuries  of  life,  and  make 
comfortable  the  old,  infirm,  and  sick. 

.The  effeminate  manners  and  habits,  and  fragile  constitu 
tions,  in  the  United  States,  of  young  men,  arise,  to  some 
extent,  from  the  nature  of  their  occupations.  How  can 
they  become  strong,  healthy  men,  without  exercise  in  the 
open  air?  Men  were  made  for  manly  and  vigorous  pursuits. 
There  are  some  occupations  we  would  like  to  see  men 
deprived  of — such  as  superintending  a  work-room  where 
women  only  are  employed.  How  a  strong,  well-dressed 
man,  can  watch  over  girls  at  work,  taxing  their  strength 
until  it  tails  ;  in  short,  be  a  regular  slave-driver  of  women, 
is  unaccountable  to  a  person  with  any  refinement  of  feeling. 
It  far  exceeds  in  degradation  the  employment  of  an  over 
seer  iii  the  Southern  States,  when  they  were  slave  states. 

TLie  number  of  women  engaged  in  domestic  labor,  equaled 
by  the  number  of  men  in  occupations,  leaves  but  a  compara 
tively  small  number  of  both  sexes  to  come  in  competition  in 
19 


290      THE  RESULT  OF  SUCH  APPROPRIATION* 

business  life  ;  added  to  this  is  the  consideration  that  some 
of  these  non-domestic  women  have  means  of  their  own, 
and  do  not  engage  in  business  of  any  kind,  while  men,  of 
equal  or  greater  means,  are  so  engaged, 

Prejudice  is  very  much  diminished  by  education,  observa 
tion,  and  general  intelligence.  Much  of  the  prejudice  that 
opposed  the  entrance  of  women  into  occupations  new  to 
them,  has  ceased  to  exist.  Opinions  are  much  influenced 
by  feelings.  We  do  not  wish  to  see  honest  men  deprived 
of  their  business  profits,  but  we  want  women  to  have  a  fair 
chance. 

The  complaint  is  made  that  if  women  enter  occupations 
now  engaged  in  by  men,  the  competition  may  lower  the 
wages  of  the  men  in  said  occupations,  and  cause  them  to 
enter  other  occupations.  If  they  enter  those  more  suitable 
for  them,  and  leave  vacancies  that  women  can  profitably  fill, 
where  is  the  ha^m  done  to  either  men  or  women? 

"  With  regard  to  educated  women,  their  increased  em 
ployments  need  not,  and  would  not,  have  the  effect  of  throw 
ing  men  out  of  work,  because  the  progress  of  civilization 
is  continually  opening  fresh  occupations  to  educated  per 
sons  ;  great  numbers  of  women  could  therefore  find  employ 
ment,  if  they  were  properly  instructed,  without  displacing 
one  solitary  man," 

One  field  that  should  be  more  extensively  opened  to  wo 
men  is  that  of  selling  dry  goods,  and  fancy  articles.  Look 
at  tall,  bearded  men  behind  counters,  selling  laces  aud 
ribbons  to  women  ;^  or  exposing  for  sale  hoop  skirts ;  in 
millinery  stores  offering  feathers  and  artificial  flowers  ;  in 
mantua-rnaking  establishments  measuring  the  waists  of  wo 
men  ;  in  toy  stores,  handling  dolls,  aud  wooden  horses  ;  in 
bakeries  selling  pies  ;  on  sidewalks  disposing  of  bouquets, 
or  candies  aud  fruit,  —  then  tell  me  if  the  occupations  look 
manly.  Even  men  are  employed,  by  many  ladies,  to  dress 
their  hair ;  and  in  California,  they  have  been  employed  to 
do  chamber  work,  at  hotels.  See  the  pale  faces,  delicate 
forms,  and  slender  fingers  of  these  men.  For  what  are  they 
fit  outside  of  their  vocation?  Let  them  lose  that,  and  to 


THE  RESULT  OF  SUCH  APPROPRIATION.     291 

what  else  may  they  turn  ?  Having  only  vegetated  they  be 
come  effeminate,  lose  their  vigor  and  strength,  and  acquire 
all  the  ways  and  prejudices  of  sickly  women.  Motion  and 
exercise  in  the  open  air,  are  necessary  to  make  men  —  wo 
men  may  possibly  live  without.  Years  ago  men  would  not 
have  engaged  in  woman's  work  without  suffering  the  ridi 
cule  of  their  fellow*men,  and  the  contempt  of  women.  For 
woman's  sake  it  would  have  been  well  if  it  had  continued  so. 


292  PROVINCE   OF    WOMEN. 


PROVINCE    OF   WOMEN. 

MANY  are  the  virtues  and  graces  that  should  adorn 
the  home  sphere  of  woman.  Woman  was  intended 
to  be  a  companion  for  man  —  to  share  with  him  life's  joys 
and  sorrows,  and  to  hold  a  responsible  place  in  society. 
And  such  is  generally  her  station  in  our  fair-  land.  To 
sew,  to  read,  to  think,  and  visit  are  among  the  numberless 
duties  and  pastimes  of  her  every-day  life. 

A  woman  will  find  full  play  for  all  her  powers  and  talents 
in  the  sanctities  of  home.  The  Marchioness  Ossoli  says, 
"  A  house  is  no  home  unless  it  contains  food  and  fire  for 
the  mind,  as  well  as  the  body."  If  people  do  not  get  them 
in  one  way,  they  must  in  another,  or  perish  ;  for  human 
beings  are  so  constituted  that  they  must  either  advance  or 
retrograde  mentally. 

The  superiority  of  woman's  moral  and  social  position  is 
supposed  by  some  to  arise  from  a  more  constant  partici 
pation  in  the  duties  and  pastimes  of  home  life.  The  ele 
ments  of  the  heart  nature  are  more  cultivated  and  exercised. 
To  woman,  as  mother,  is  committed  the  training  of  the 
young  mind,  the  sowing  of  the  se'ed  that  must  bring  forth 
virtue  or  vice  ;  and  consequently  to  her  is  intrusted  the 
destiny  of  our  nation.  In  her  hands  is  the  helm  of  state, 
in  her  heart  its  prosperity  or  adversity.  At  the  fireside  are 
her  charms  to  be  appreciated  ;  and  there  her  influence  may 
give  an  impulse  to  be  felt  when  she  is  in  the  grave  ;  there 
her  voice  may  make  impressions  never  to  be  obliterated. 

The  spheres  of  men  and  women  are  not  so  separate  and 
distinct  as  is  generally  thought.  Yet  there  is  no  need  that 
one  should  trespass  on  the  other.  We  would  not  limit 
woman  to  any  particular  sphere  more  than  man,  except 


PROVINCE   OF    WOMEN.  293 

as  her  physical  strength  and  modesty  should  determine 
that  limit.  What  she  now  is,  is  the  result  of  custom 
founded  oil  arbitrary  laws. 

Mr.  Chapiii,  in  a  lecture,  said,  "  If  there  was  a  sphere 
for  woman,  then,  in  the  same  sense,  there  was  a  sphere  for 
man.  What  was  man's  sphere?  It  was  the  realm  of  being, 
of  thought,  of  action,  which  he  could  legitimately  fill  — that 
idea  in  which  all  his  faculties  find  employment,  and  where 
his  entire  nature  is  harmoniously  developed."  Arid  such, 
we  think,  should  be  woman's  sphere. 

Said  Mr.  Curtis,  in  a  lecture  on  "  Woman  and  her 
Work,"  "  As  honorable  men,  we  must  concede  that  every 
human  being  has  a  natural  right  to  do  what  God  has  given 
him  the  power  to  do,  within  the  limits  of  the  moral  law." 

A  man  is  no  more  competent,  and  has  no  more  right,  to 
dictate  or  say  what  the  sphere  of  a  woman  without  a  family 
is  than  a  woman  has  to  dictate  or  say  what  the  sphere  of  a 
man  without  a  family  is.  We  are  individually  responsible 
to  a  higher  power  than  either  man  or  woman. 

Says  Rev.  Samuel  Longfellow,  "  As  water  seeks  its  level, 
so  talent  and  energy  seek  theirs.  Let  man  and  woman 
alone,  unhampered,  and  untrammeled,  to  find  their  own 
spheres.  The  sphere  of  a  woman  is  that  which  her  talent, 
education,  and  other  qualifications,  fit  her  for  occupying. 
But  that  sphere  is,  to  some  extent,  determined  by  herself. 
If  she  aspires  occasionally  to  something  higher,  and  uses 
corresponding  exertion,  her  system  will  be  enlarged  and 
elevated." 

How  often  is  the  expression  arrogantly  and  presumptu 
ously  made  by  man,  "  Woman's  sphere  is  at  home"  !  We 
know  home  is  the  sphere  for  some  women.  Is  it  for  all  i 
Have  all  homes?  Such  men  either  forget  the  homeless 
ones,  or  never  think  enough  to  know  such  exist.  The 
sphere  of  married  women  is  mostly  confined  to  home ;  but 
for  the  many  thousands  of  females  that  have  no  home  ties 
and  home  duties,  their  sphere  of  action  necessarily  lies 
outside  of  home.  We  cannot  believe  that  Providence  in 
tended  them  for  drones  in  society ;  that  they  are  to  exist  as 
mammies. 


PROVINCE   OF   WOMEX. 

It  is  the  privilege  of  many  single  women  to  soothe  the 
distressed,  to  comfort  the  sad,  to  cheer  the  lonely,  to  bless 
the  orphan,  and  assist  the  widow.  It  is  their  -privilege  to 
feed  the  poor,  and  clothe  the  ragged,  to  encourage  the 
desponding,  and  draw  back  the  erring  into  the  paths  of 
truth  and  virtue.  Their  mission  is  a  holy  one.  Toil  and 
care  may  attend  it,  yet  it  brings  a  blessing.  But  these 
holy  duties  and  privileges  of  single  women  are  confined 
to  very  few,  except  those  who  have  means  of  their  own, 
or  live  as  auxiliaries  in  other  families,  for  others  must  earn 
their  own  living  by  labor  that  consumes  nearly,  or  quite, 
all  of  their  waking  hours. 

Those  who  prate  about  woman's  sphere  always  speak 
and  act  as  if  all  were  situated  as  they  should  be  —  provided 
with  food,  clothing,  and  a  comfortable  home.  They  think 
not  of  the  thousands  without  either.  They  think  not  to 
what  many  are  reduced  by  the  stern,  relentless,  bitter  de 
crees  of  fate ;  that  necessity  is  a  severer  master  than  fancy. 
Perhaps  they  consider  such  unworthy  of  their  notice.  If 
so,  their  want  of  philanthropy  speaks  for  itself.  The  crude 
state  of  society,  as  regards  women's  employments,  is  not 
considered,  nor  the  complicated  system  of  the  higher  and 
more  artificial  condition. 

A  remnant  of  barbarism  still  lurks  in  the  minds  of  those 
men  who  think  women  inferior  to  themselves.  The  time 
is  not  long  past  when  men  declaimed  against  women  for 
expressing  their  thoughts  by  the  pen.  It  was  an  encroach 
ment  on  old  customs  ;  it  did  not  come  within  their  narrow 
limit  of  woman's  sphere. 

Wejnow  and  then  hear  a  man  complain  of  what  he  terms 
strong-minded  women.  The  inference  is  that  such  men 

O 

prefer  weak-minded  women.  And  who  are  the  men?  In 
almost  all  cases,  either  narrow-minded  men  whose  preju 
dices  have  been  imbibed  from  ignorant  parents,  or  envious 
men  that  fear  a  woman's  superiority. 

Many  people  are  very  ready  to  pronounce  unfavorably  on 
what  to  them  is  new,  or  at  all  strange.  They  think,  for 
instance,  that  a  certain  occupation  would  not  do  for  a 


PROVINCE   OF    WOMEN.  295 

woman.  Yon  ask  why.  Because  women  are  not  so  em 
ployed.  If  it  is  suitable,  give  the  occupation  a  trial.  Do 
not  be  frightened  by  arguments  that  have  no  weight  in 
them.  Society  cannot  afford  to  lose  some  of  its  best  tal 
ents  merely  because  they  are  woman's.  To  crush  the 
abilities  of  the  sex  by  saying  they  have  none,  is  surely 
an  unfair  way  of  testing  the  fact. 

If  you  begin  to  talk  to  some  men  about  women  having  a 
pursuit,  they  say,  or  intimate,  that  all  women  should  marry. 
Do  they  say  that  all  men  should  marry,  or  urge  it  upon 
them  ?  As  many  men  as  choose  may  live  single,  and  heap 
up  riches,  but  that  a  woman  should  have  such  wages  as 
would  enable  her  to  lay  by  a  sum  for  sickness,  and  old  age, 
is  outrageous  !  O,  no,  she  should  marry  —  it  matters  not 
whom  —  whether  an  industrious  man,  that  will  be  a  pro 
tector,  and  help  to  support  her,  or  a  vagabond  that  she  may 
be  abused  by,  and  have  to  support. 

The  chivalry  of  such  men  as  prefer  to  remain  single,  and 
acquire  riches,  should  prompt  them  to  form  a  fund,  from 
which  worthy  spinsters  and  widows,  who  are  paid  inade 
quate  wages  for  their  labor,  may  receive  a  support, 

Could  the  labor  of  all  womankind  be  compromised,  it 
might  be  better  for  the  sisterhood.  Some  die  from  too 
much  labor,  others  for  the  want  of  something  to  do.  Enough 
sympathy  is  given  poor  women  ;  but  they  need  something 
more  substantial  —  they  want  remunerative  employment. 
Give  them  that,  pay  them  promptly,  and  thereby  prove 
your  sympathy  real. 

With  women,  marriage  is  a  more  solemn  event  than  with 
men.  A  man's  sphere  of  duties  is  but  slightly  changed,  a 
woman's  greatly.  The  duties  that  married  life  bring  her 
are  more  fatiguing,  more  constant,  and  more  lasting.  She 
must  endure  physical  suffering,  care,  and  anxiety.  He  is 
comparatively  free.  Yet,  perhaps,  her  happiness  is  more 
intense,  more  exquisite  in  parental  ties.  If  she  has  good 
health,  bright,  happy  children,  and  a  good  husband,  in 
prosperous  business,  her  happiness,  as  a  married  woman, 
is  complete. 


296         NEITHER  DRUDGERY  NOR   IDLENESS, 


NEITHER  DRUDGERY   NOR  IDLENESS. 


have  discussed  at  some  length  the  differences  of 
opinion  in  regard  to  what  is  familiarly  termed  "  the 
sphere  of  woman,"     Some  think  her  place  is  in  the  kitchen 

—  her  skill  to  consist  in  domestic  and  culinary  concerns  — 
to  be  an  expert  laundress,  or  an  adept  in  the  ablutions  of 
dirty  children  —  to   sweep,    dust,  scour,  iron,  and   all  the 
thousand  and  one  menial  employments  connected  with  house 
keeping  —  in  short  a  slave  for  her  husband  and  children. 
These   stereotyped  ideas   are  wearing  out,  as  man  reflects 
more,  and  Avoman  takes  her  place  as  a  companion  for  him, 

—  an  intellectual  and  companionable  helpmeet. 

Labor  in  the  field  with  men  makes  women  coarse  in  their 
manners,  and  too  often  immoral.  In  England,  Scotland, 
Austria,  Germany,  and  France,  the  effects  may  be  seen. 
In  those  countries,  women  so  engaged,  lose  their  modesty, 
and  having  no  comfortable  home  to  come  to,  are  apt  to 
spend  their  evenings,  and  their  money,  at  beer  shops,  or  low 
groceries,  with  vile  company, 

We  repeat,  strong,  coarse  labor  is  not  proper  for  wo 
man,  nor  heavy,  out-door  employment.  The  labors  of  the 
field,  and  the  drudgery  of  housework,  as  preparing  fuel, 
drawing  water,  <fec.,  degrade  the  better  class  of  women. 
Few  women  are  men's  equals  physically,  and  therefore  the 
mass  of  women  should  not  perform  such  labor  as  calls  for 
an  equal  strength  of  body,  Neither  should  they  engage  in 
work  degrading  to  their  moral  or  mental  nature.  The  re 
spect  due  from  the  other  sex  forbids  it.  Everything  that  is 
proper  in  nature,  and  decent  in  man,  forbids  it. 

While  we  condemn  one  extreme  for  women,  iu-door  or 
out-door  drudgery,  we  denounce  no  less  the  opposite,  that  of 


CREEDS   OF  SOME  MARRIED    WOMEN.         297 

entire  freedom  from  exertion.  It  was  not  designed  that 
woman  should  spend  all  her  hours  in  the  parlor  entertaining 
heartless  fops,  reading  works  of  fiction,  playing  the  piano, 
doing  fancy  work,  dancing,  flirting,  retailing  scandal,  and 
the  many  other  pastimes  of  fashionable  women.  God  never 
made  her  for  such  a  purpose.  Neither  was  it  designed  that 
women  should  be  so  engrossed  in  literary  pursuits  as  to 
have  no  interest  in  the  scenes  of  every-day  life. 


CREEDS   OF   SOME   MARRIED   WOMEN. 

MANY  a  woman  likes  to  make  her  husband  and  sons 
think  her  presence  essential  in  household  matters,  for 
tiie  purpose  of  making  herself  appear  the  more  important 
in  their  eyes.  To  obey  a  husband,  and  conceal  his  faults, 
is  the  narrow  formula  of  some  women's  creed.  To  live  ill 
Btyle,  and  bo  admired  by  strangers,  is  another  quite  in 
vogue.  To  marry  off  her  daughters  is  the  sole  aim  of 
many  a  mother  ;  while  a  small  number,  taking  a  religious 
and  higher  view  of  their  obligations,  endeavor  to  lead  a 
pure  life,  and  exert  a  holy  influence,  that  they  may  thereby 
help  their  husbands  and  children  to  obtain  an  interest  iu  the 
belter  world  above. 


298  ADVANTAGES   OF  WOMEN, 


ADVANTAGES   OF   WOMEN  MORALLY. 

THE  courtesy  and  respect  that  distinguish  American  meu 
in  their  intercourse  with  the  other  sex  is  acknowledged 
by  nations  far  and  near.  Ladies  receive  kindness  and  atten 
tion  where  men  would  not.  In  traveling  it  is  particularly 
noticeable,  except  in  the  street  cars  of  Philadelphia,  New 
York,  and  Boston,  where  the  majority  of  men  occupy  seats 
while  ladies  stand. 

Delicacy  and  refinement  are  imparted  to  a  man  by  inter 
course  with  virtuous,  intelligent,  and  pious  women.  Women 
wield  a  mighty  moral  influence.  In  almost  every  place  some 
sphere  of  benevolent  action  is  open  to  woman.  So,  if  her 
home  duties  do  not  occupy  her,  she  has  no  excuse  for  idleness. 

Aime  Martin  says,  "  The  little  of  true  piety  which  yet 
exists  on  earth  we  owe  to  women,  much  more  than  to 
theologians." 

Women  are  thought  to  be  more  credulous  than  men. 
That  arises  from  circumstances.  They  perhaps  have  not 
their  trust  so  often  misplaced.  They  have  not  so  often  oc 
casion  to  test  the  truthfulness,  or  reverse,  of  human  nature. 
If  before  the  fall  woman  was  more  credulous  than  man, 
surely  she  was  less  responsible  for  heeding  the  words  of  the 
tempter. 

The  condition  of  woman  has  always  been  a  fair  index, 

and  standard,  of  the  state  of  morality  among  the  men  of 

their  age.     When  women  were  respected,  and  well  treated 

I  the    men  were    more    correct   and  humane.     It  has  been 

»  said,  that  women  in  every  age  were  better  than  the  men 

of  their  time, 

Women  are  not  exposed  to  the  same  kind  of  evil  influences 
as  men.  The  wickedness  of  the  world  in  general  is  not  so 
known  to  them,  Thev  are  not  thrown  into  so  great 


ADVANTAGES   OF    WOMEN.  21)  U 

temptations  to  commit  sinful  deeds.  Man  is  more  engrossed 
by  the  objects  of  sense — -more  of  the  earth  —  earthy  —  in 
his  nature  —  than  woman.  He  is  more  governed  by  his 
passions  and  appetites  ;  consequently  he  has  more  to  contend 
with  in  becoming  a  spiritual  being.  Woman's  dangers  are 
more  from  within  herself — man's  more  from  without. 
Woman's  are  more  to  be  guarded  against  by  a  pure  heart,  a 
good  education,  constant  employment,  and  virtuous  friends 
—  man's  more  by  external  circumstances  and  moral  cour- 
a^e.  The  character  of  a  man's  associates  has  much  to  do 

D 

with  these.  Women  are  probably  more  influenced  by  pass 
ing  events  than  men,  and  generally  find  it  more  difficult  to 
overcome  any  obstacle  arising  therefrom.  Woman's  edu 
cation  should  be  of  a  strengthening,  not  an  enervating  kind. 
She  needs  all  the  discipline  of  mind,  and  force  of  character, 
that  can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  her  earnest  every-day  life. 
When  woman  has  been  educated  for  three  centuries  as  man 
is,  her  power  of  thought  will  obtain  as  strong  a  reality. 
She  will  think  as  freely,  and  execute  as  well  as  think. 

Since  the  forbidden  fruit  was  eaten  in  Eden  the  race  has 
suffered  depression.  Woman's  physical,  .moral,  and  mental 
depression  has  been  greater  than  man's.  But  since  by 
woman  came  a  Redeemer  to  the  world,  her  condition  has 
gradually  improved. 

The  duties  of  women  are  different  from  those  of  men,  but 
they  are  not  less  arduous  or  important.  Women  are  the 
supporters  of  infant  life  —  the  guides  of  youth  —  the  com 
forters  of  old  age.  Without  them  home  is  a  desert.  They 
are  the  refiners  of  the  rude,  the  softeners  of  the  untamed. 

Some  writers  charge  the  women  of  the  present  day  with 
having  less  courage  than  those  of  the  past.  They  may  be 
physically  weaker,  but  their  courage  would,  no  doubt,  be 
found  as  great,  if  it  were  put  to  the  test. 

Women  are  much  more  patient  than  men,  and  it  is  well, 
for  little  events  make  up  the  sum  of  woman's  life.  This 
quality  of  patience,  united  with  perseverance,  enables  women 
to  succeed  well  in  works  of  research,  and  application. 

Women  are  thought  to  have  more  lively  imaginations,  and 
greater  discernment,  than  men,  but  inferior  judgments.  It 


300  ADVANTAGES   OF   WOMEN. 

may  be  that  their  judgments  are  less  exercised.  The  mem 
ories  of  most  women  are  deficient,  probably  from  their  being 
stored  with  numberless  matters  of  minor  importance,  but  in 
many  cases  it  arises  from  poor  health. 

(Scientific  knowledge  is  being  more  generally  diffused 
among  women,  and  the  principles  of  art  better  understood, 
than  in  past  years.  Some  writer  has  remarked,  "  However 
liberal  a  man  may  be,  he  rarely  feels  unqualified  pleasure  in 
the  superiority  of  a  woman.  If  he  does  not  love,  his  self- 
esteem  takes  offense.  If  he  does,  his  heart  is  alarmed  by  it." 

Says  Lady  Morgan,  u  As  Mo.-res  wound  up  his  divine  mis 
sion  on  Mount  Iloreb  with  his  law  on  female  inheritance,  so 
closes  the  sacred  volume  of  holy  writ  as  it  began  —  with 
woman  —  her  intellectual  influence,  and  her  social  impor 
tance —  a  glorious  and  imperishable  record  in  her  favor,  to 
which  nature  and  revelation  have  both  set  their  seal ;  and 
which  man,  by  all  his  physical  supremacy,  and  by  all  his  ar 
tificial  combinations,  his  unjust  laws  and  puerib  fictions, 
cannot  conceal  or  invalidate." 

The  remark  of  Mous.  Thomas  contains  a  large  grain  of 
truth,  but  we  hope  it  may  be  left  as  a  myth  in  the  years  fast 
passing  away.  kk  It  is  with  women  as  with  sovereigns  :  they 
seldom  hear  the  truth,  and  we  estimate  them  more  by  inter 
est  and  by  humor,  than  by  justice." 

Women  usually  have  more  address  than  men.  They  are 
quicker  in  their  perceptions,  more  acute  in  their  reflec 
tions.  Pity  and  benevolence  are  characteristics  of  women, 
and  especially  noticeable  among  savage  nations,  where  these 
qualities  contrast  strongly  with  other  traits.  Under  trying 
circumstances  of  sorrow,  disappointment,  and  poverty,  wo 
men  have  manifested  an  incredible  amount  of  fortitude.  And 
ia  sickness,  their  patience  and  composure  have  surpassed 
those  of  the  other  sex. 

Women  are  accused  by  some  of  being  more  gossiping, 
meddlesome,  and  unjust  than  men.  The  first  charge  we 
think  unfounded,  as  men  meet  each  other  more  frequently  in 
business  transactions,  public  and  benevolent  meetings,  and 
social  pastimes  than  women,  and  invariably  discuss  more  or 
,  not  only  the  news  of  the  day,  but  their  neighbors'  affairs. 


ADVANTAGES   OF    WOMEN.  301 

If  women  are  more  interfering,  and  prying,  it  arises  from 
their  minds  being  so  constantly  occupied  with  trifles,  and  it 
may  be  from  a  larger  share  of  natural  curiosity. 

Some  young  women  exhibit  a  great  want  of  refinement  by 
their  coarse  jokes,  and  indecent  expressions,  when  thrown 
into  the  society  of  each  other.  We  believe,  however,  it  is 
rare.  It  certainly  has  a  deleterious  influence  on  the  advance 
ment  of  moral  growth.  There  is  a  respect  due  to  every 
human  being  that  we  should  observe,  and  a  respect  due  to 
us,  that  we  should  require.  It  is  essential  to  a  proper  self- 
respect.  Storing  the  mind  with  useful  knowledge  is  the  best 
antidote  to  impure  language,  for  then  the  tongue  has  mate 
rials  at  its  disposal.  Impurity  of  language,  and  coarse  jokes, 
generally  arise  as  much  from  emptiness  of  head,  as  impurity 
of  heart. 

Women  have  rather  more  freedom  than  in  by-gone  years. 
Yet  they  should  remember  that  public  opinion  is  a  severe 
censor.  Suspicion  lurks  with  an  Argus  eye,  and  calumny, 
with  her  tongue  of  fire,  is  ever  ready  to  spread  ruin  and 
death. 

Women  have  never  had  a  fair  chance  in  the  world.  Men 
impose  on  them  more  than  they  are  aware  of.  They  have 
cramped  them  in  their  thoughts  and  actions,  have  lowered 
their  moral  standard,  and  made  public  opinion  to  frown  at 
any  attempt  on  the  part  of  women  to  maintain  their  own 
individual  rights,  or  those  of  their  sex.  u  Many  women, 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  scarcely  know  the  exercise  of 
free  will,  either  in  the  disposal  of  their  own  time,  or  their 
fortunes,  in  the  choice  of  pleasures  or  pursuits,  in  the  selection 
of  friends  or  acquaintances,  or  even  in  determining  the  spot 
on  which  they  will  reside." 

As  the  motives  that  govern  women  are  rendered  more 
pure  and  unselfish,  their  principles  more  correct,  their  words 
more  frank  and  truthful,  their  conduct  more  exemplary,  as1 
their  moral  courage  is  increased,  and  their  responsibility  for 
the  use  of  time,  talents,  and  opportunities  enforced,  the  race 
will  be  elevated  morally,  and  intellectually.  But  until  men 
become  better,  and  are  held,  like  women,  amenable  to  society 
for  their  conduct,  progress  will  be  very  slow.  ^ 


302  MENTAL  AND  MORAL    GROWTH. 


MENTAL  AND   MORAL  GROWTH   OF  WOMEN. 

THE  comparative  freedom  of  thought,  and  action,  al 
lowed  women,  by  civilized  nations,  will  tend  to  give 
both  men,  and  women,  clearer  views  of  woman's  privileges, 
and  rights.  It  will  open  to  women  plainer,  and  more 
decided  fields  of  action.  Woman's  faculties  are  cultivated, 
her  powers  developed,  under  the  influence  of  Christianity. 
It  is  only  where  pure  vital  religion  exists  that  woman,  in 
the  capacity  of  wife  and  mother,  is  properly  appreciated. 
Woman  now  occupies  a  more  exalted  position  in  enlightened 
countries  than  since  in  Eden  she  made  her  home.  In  Eng 
land  and  the  United  States  the  Christian  religion  exists  in 
the  greatest  purity,  and  in  no  other  countries  does  woman 
stand  higher.  The  language  of  the  two  countries  is  the  same 
—  the  language,  that  we  hope,  and  suppose,  will  be  universal 
during  the  millennium.  It  is  now  spoken  by  a  greater 
number  of  people  than  any  other.  No  country  is  more  open 
to  reforms  than  ours.  The  general  instruction  of  the  masses, 
the  cheapness  of  books,  liberal  wages  to  men,  general  intel 
ligence,  business  habits,  and  social  character,  added  to  the 
deference  paid  woman,  render  her  ability  for  engaging  in 
moral  reforms,  and  benevolent  objects,  superior  to  all  others. 
M.  de  Tocqueville  attributes  the  successful  condition  of 
America  to  the  superior  character  of  the  women.  Indeed, 
most  foreigners  say  the  women  of  the  United  States  are 
superior  to  the  men.  \ 

The  sanctity  of  the  marriage  tie  does  much  to  promote  a 
pure  morality  in  any  country.  Wherever  the  marriage  tie 
is  disregarded,  there  exists  more  or  less  depravity  and 
degradation. 

Adverse  circumstances  often  develop  traits  and  abilities 


MENTAL  AND  MORAL  GROWTH.  303 

that  the  individual  was  not  previously  aware  of  possessing. 
Favorable  circumstances  are  required  for  the  development 
of  woman's  talents.  Her  sensitive,  shrinking  nature  needs 
the  soil  of  affection,  the  dew  of  hope,  the  sunshine  of  en 
couragement. 

There  should  always  be  distinct  aims  in  view  in  the 
education  and  training  of  young  people.  A  difficulty  often 
arises  from  a  proper  direction  not  being  given  to  those  aims 

uot  having  some  one  of  experience  and  wisdom  to  guide 

them,  to  assist  in  forming  their  characters  and  minds.  It  is 
for  the  want  of  a  clear  and  distinct  consciousness  of  what 
should  be  done,  that  so  many  learned  and  polished  people 
waste  their  time  and  talents. 

With  the  generality  of  women  there  is  a  greater  desire  to 
be  admired  than  to  admire  —  to  be  loved  than  to  love. 
There  is  a  spice  of  romance  in  the  young  of  both  sexes,  but 
especially  that  of  woman, 

Madame  Necker  says,  "  In  general,  the  transition  most 
difficult  for  women,  is  that  from  youth  to  maturity  ;  and 
that  most  so  for  men,  is  from  maturity  to  old  age."  The 
loss  of  the  senses  of  sight  and  hearing,  that  generally  attend 
old  age,  may  serve  to  draw  the  mind  and  attention  from  the 
scenes  and  events  of  life.  It  may  lead  those  so  deprived,  to 
fix  their  thoughts  more  on  things  pertaining  to  eternity. 
The  restraints  society  imposes  on  women,  if  not  too  great, 
are  beneficial.  Now  a  lady  can  travel  alone  from  one  end 
t)f  the  laud  to  the  other,  and,  if  she  conducts  herself  with  the 
dignity  and  reserve  becoming  a  lady,  such  attention  as  is 
necessary  will  not  be  withheld  from  her. 

The  judgment,  economy,  and  foresight,  shown  by  women, 
in  the  management  of  their  households,  proves  they  have  the 
ability  to  become  competent  in  other  departments  of  industry, 
Yet  few  women,  as  society  now  exists,  have  the  qualities 
that  enable  them  to  rise  above  others  of  their  class.  The 
difficulties  they  have  to  overcome  are  far  more  than  fall  to 
'  the  lot  of  man. 

The  powers  of  the  mind  become  inactive  if  not  brought 
into  exercise  by  contact  with  other  minds,     All  the  faculties 


304  MENTAL  AND  MORAL    GROWTH. 

are  sharpened  by  intercourse  with  others.  The  strongest 
mind  must  lose  its  vigor,  and  strength,  when  confined  to 
loneliness,  and  solitude. 

Literature  is  with  most  women  a  pastime,  not  a  study. 
Attention  has  lately  been  called  to  the  large  number  of  wo 
men  at  the  present  time  married  happily,  compared  with  the 
number  of  single  women,  aud  those  married  unhappily,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  present  century.  "  In  Goethe's 
time,  Rehbien  observed  that  the  women  who  had  dis 
tinguished  themselves  in  literature,  poetry  especially,  were 
almost  universally  women  who  had  been  disappointed  in 
their  best  affections,  and  sought  in  this  direction  of  the  in 
tellect  a  sort  of  compensation.  It  is  most  certain  that 
among  the  women  who  have  been  distinguished  in  literature, 
three  fourths  have  been  either  by  nature,  or  fate,  or  the  laws 
of  society,  placed  in  a  painful  or  a  false  position." 

"•  I  am  persuaded  that  in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge  women 
would  never  be  insulted  by  sensible  men,  aud  rarely  by  men 
of  any  description,  if  they  did  not  by  mock  modesty  remind 
them  that  they  were  women." 

Everything  that  develops  the  intellect,  taste,  and  industry 
of  a  people  should  be  encouraged.  The  moral  aud  mental 
culture  of  workwomen  is  much  neglected.  Nor  can  it  be 
otherwise  while  their  wages  are  so  scant,  their  comforts  so 
few,  their  hours  of  toil  so  protracted. 

The  French  working  people  of  Metz  are  said  to  be  the 
most  polite  and  correct  in  their  deportment,  the  best  dressed, 
and  best  informed  work-people  of  France  ;  and  the  change 
in  them  is  attributable  to  the  courses  of  lectures  delivered  to 
them, 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  most  women  of  weak  char 
acters,  and  intellects  below  mediocrity,  there  is,  with  a  show 
of  amiability  aud  pity,  much  servility  aud  treachery. 

AY  lieu  we  see  the  results  of  ignorance  and  a  want  of 
judgment  iu  woman,  and  its  wretched  effects  upon  the 
members  of  her  household,  we  wonder  how  any  man  of 
thought  can,  for  a  moment,  say  aught  against  the  education 
and  development  of  woman's  talents. 


MENTAL  AND  MORAL   GROWTH.  305 

The  disposition,  the  tendencies  of  education,  and  the  in 
fluences  of  circumstances,  render  the  power  of  resisting 
temptation  very  different  in  individuals.  Various  classes 
of  society,  and  the  conventionalities  of  various  countries, 
also  have  their  effect.  One  with  a  cool  head,  and  cal 
culating  nature,  is  not  so  likely  to  be  led  astray,  as  one  of 
an  ardent,  impulsive  temperament. 

In  proportion  as  men  respect  virtue  in  women  will  they 
be  virtuous  themselves.  The  tyranny  of  the  Frenchman  in 
his  family,  and  the  jealousy  of  the  Spaniard,  do  away  with 
much  affection. 

A  certain  writer  describes  men  as  beings  of  reason  —  wo» 
men  as  creatures  of  instinct.  He  must  have  had  a  very 
weak,  silly,  ignorant  woman  for  a  mother,  and  have  as* 
soeiated  with  very  common  women, 

Cabarius  says,  "  Woman's  eye,  if  we  may  so  express  it, 
hears  every  word  ;  her  ear  sees  every  motion." 

A  settled  home  is  necessary  for  tranquillity  of  mind.    Use 
less  and  frequent  changes  greatly  deteriorate  the  character 
of  an  individual,  or  a  rjatjoq, 
20 


306  COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 


A   COMPARISON   OF   MEN  AND  WOMEN. 

MEN  and  women  may  be  classed,  like  the  members  of 
the  vegetable  world,  into  genera,  species,  and  indi 
viduals.  There  is  nearly  as  marked  a  difference  between  the 
individuals  that  compose  the  species  and  genera.  One  man 
or  woman  may  be  a  mushroom,  another  an  oak,  one  a  vine, 
another  a  shrub,  &c.  It  is  not  sex  that  makes  the  difference 
in  their  moral  and  mental  natures.  One  man  differs  as 
much  from  another  in  disposition,  character,  taste,  and  in 
clinations,  as  from  a  woman,  and  the  same  may  be  said  to 
hold  true  of  women,  though  not  in  so  great  a  degree,  inas 
much  as  their  individuality,  as  a  general  thing,  is  not  so 
fully  and  distinctly  marked. 

"VVe  cannot  assert  there  is  a  difference  in  the  moral  and 
mental  constitution  of  the  two  sexes.  The  difference  in  the 
intellects  of  men  and  women  is  in  the  difference  of  expansion, 
and  the  nature  of  the  development,  not  in  the  original  number 
or  quality  of  the  mental  powers.  Woman's  mind  is  more 
suggestive  than  man's.  A  man  will  take  a  subject  and 
revolve  it  in  his  mind,  until  he  has  eduqed  new  thoughts, 
which  he  works  into  an  essay,  newspaper  article,  or  it  may 
be  a  volume.  A  woman  will  be  more  likely  to  take  books 
on  the  subject  that  interests  her,  and  read,  and  have  new 
ideas  suggested,  or  created,  which  she  forms  into  materials 
for  the  benefit  of  others.  And  yet  women  generally  have 
not  the  power  to  permeate,  to  analyze,  to  appropriate,  the 
thoughts  and  feelings  of  a  writer,  like  men.  But  this  dif 
ference  is  the  result  of  cultivation. 

Delicacy  of  organization  may  possibly  tend  to  promote 
the  growth  of  some  of  the  mental  faculties,  such  as  imagi- 


COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN.          307 

nation  and  observation,  and  it  may  retard  the  growth  of 
others,  such  as  reason  and  firmness.     We  doubt  whether 
woman  is,  by  nature,  more  imaginative   than  man.     That 
faculty  is  often  developed  in  her  at  the  expense  of  her  other 
faculties,  and  in  many  cases  will  prove  more  of  a  curse  than 
a  blessing.      "  In  comparing  the  intellectual  powers  of  the 
sexes,  it  would  be  necessary  to  consider  distinctly  the  philo 
sophical  talent,  which    meditates ;    the  talent  of  memory, 
which  collects  ;  the    talent  of  imagination,  which   creates ; 
the  moral  and  political  talent,  which  governs."    It  is  thought 
by  some  that  women  are  capable  of  a  greater  variety  of 
attainments  than  men,  but  do  not  become  so  thorough.    Few 
women  equal  learned  men  in  their  devotion  to  anyone  scien 
tific  pursuit,  their  constant  devotion  to  study,  their  thorough 
ness,  and   their   general   information  ;    for  the  number  of 
women  is  small  indeed,  who  are  encouraged,  or  have  the 
facilities,  for  reaching  this  stand-point.    Women  who  devote 
themselves  to  study  are  less  free  and  lively  in  conversation 
than  others.     They  have  less  time  to  devote  to  the  accom 
plishments,  and    may,  therefore,  be  less  acceptable  to  the 
other  sex.     But  they  generally  have   stricter  ideas  of  mo 
rality  and  propriety  than  others,  and  greater  force  of  charac 
ter.     The  majority  of  married  ladies  in  medium  circum 
stances  have  a  moderate  degree  of  intelligence.     Some  are 
above  mediocrity,  but  a  large  number  are  below.     Married 
women  have  less  time  for  reading  than  men.     The  cares  of 
their  families  call  for  most  —  in  many  cases  all  —  of  their 
time.      The  majority  of  women  in  industrial  vocations  are 
nearly  on  a  par  in  intelligence.     The  mass   of  women  at 
twenty-five  are  equal  in  development  of  mind,  and  general  at 
tainments,  to  the  mass  of  men  of  the  same  age  ;  but  at  fifty, 
men  are  superior;  and  why?     Because,  while  women  have 
been  giving  life  and  nourishment  to  their  young,  and  engaged 
in  household  duties  that  occupied   their  time  and  attention, 
men,  by  the  contact,  and  conflict,  of  mind  with  mind,  by  the 
exercise   of  thought,  the   general  information  obtained   by 
observation,  conversation,   reading,   and   experience,  have 
been  rising  higher  and  higher  in  the  scale  of  intelligence. 


308          COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 

There  is  a  greater  variety  in  the  attainments,  mental  cul 
ture,  and  original  thought,  of  men  than  of  women. 

Beauty  of  character  is  marred  in  some  women  by  venting 
their  bitterness,  littleness,  and  prejudice,  against  individ 
uals.  A  corresponding  class  of  men  are  more  given  to 
generalizing,  and  spout  forth  their  invectives  against  socie 
ties,  church  sects,  and  political  parties,  of  which  they  are 
not  themselves  members. 

Few  women  have  that  firmness  of  purpose  whk»h  most 
men  have,  and  which  can  only  be  acquired  by  business  ex 
perience.  Men  are  more  gregarious  than  women  ;  even 
boys  are  more  so  than  girls.  Women  are  not  capable  of  as 
much  gratitude  as  men,  nor  so  courageous- in  the  expres 
sion  of  it.  With  women  it  is  an  impulse  —  with  men  it  is 
a  principle  —  a  part  of  their  code  of  honor.  Among  men 
every  grade  of  humanity  is  represented,  from  the  lowest 
biped  in  the  scale  of  reason  to  the  most  exalted  intellect. 
The  chasm  that  now  exists  between  men  and  women  intel 
lectually  we  would  see  bridged.  Jn  some  of  the  lyceums 
of  the  Eastern  States,  the  ladies,  as  well  as  gentlemen,  take 
a  part  in.  the  discussion.  We  think  it  a  more  sensible  way 
of  meeting  than  in  some  of  the  social  gatherings  where  gos 
sip,  nonsense,  silly  plays,  and  indifferent  music,  occupy  the 
hours.  Women  independent  in  thought  and  action,  are 
sneered  at  by  some  men  as  strong-minded,  because  the)''  do  not 
like  that  a  woman  should  have  a  will  or  an  opinion  that  does  ' 
not  coincide  with  their  own.  If  women  have  the  same  native 
talent  as  men,  and  the  same  cultivation  of  that  talent,  why 
have  they  not  the  same  right  to  form  and  express  opinions? 
How  often  is  man  represented  as  the  head,  woman  as  the 
heart !  We  advocate  a  union  of  head  and  heart,  in  both  man 
and  woman  — a  happy  blending  of  the  two.  Women  are  more 
impressible  than  men.  Men  have  stronger  nerves  and  more 
muscular  power.  The  nervous  organization  of  woman  pro 
duces  a  desire  for  peace,  and  hatred  of  bloodshed,  that  it  is 
hoped  will  tend  to  diminish  the  frightful  ravages  made  by  war. 

Most  women  have    quick,   perceptive   powers,  and   are 
more  sharp-witted  than  men.     The  Creator  has  made  the 


COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN.          309 

sensibilities  of  women  finer ;  consequently  they  receive  im 
pressions  more  vividly  than  men.  Their  likes  and  dislikes 
are  often  formed,  as  it  were,  by  intuition.  They  are  closer 
observers,  and  have  more  penetration.  Consequently  they 
are,  with  the  same  facilities  for  learning  human  nature,  bet 
ter  readers  of  character.  The  judgments  of  women  are 
more  reliable,  and  sooner  formed,  than  those  of  men.  Some 
say  they  arrive  at  their  conclusions  by  a  more  rapid  course 
of  reasoning  —  others  that  it  is  more  the  result  of  a  natural 
sagacity,  or  instinct,  than  by  a  course  of  reasoning.  Let 
the  cause  be  what  it  will,  the  fact  is  not  altered.  There  is 
a  want  of  mutual  appreciation  by  the  sexes.  They  know 
but  little  of  each  other's  tastes  and  pursuits,  temptations  and 
encouragements.  This  arises  partly  from  the  difference  of 
education,  and  prospects,  in  the  sexes. 

Love  and  religion  have  been  the  strong  impelling  forces 
of  women  for  ages  ;  power  and  wealth,  of  men.  Women 
often  receive  kindness  and  attention  where  men  would  be 
passed  by.  Women  are  more  sensitive  than  men.  Pity  is 
a  soul-impelling  power,  and  one  which  women  largely  pos- 
sess.  The  charge  has  been  made  that  women  are  more 
indolent  than  men.  We  deny  the  charge.  Women  are  not 
naturally  more  indolent,  and  when  habitually  so,  it  is  con 
fined  to  women  of  wealth,  or  those  whom  the  customs  of 
soetety  seem  to  justify  in  being  so.  The  majority  of  women  \ 
work  longer,  and  more  continuously,  than  men.  Women 
have  more  regard  to  order,  and  are  more  economical  than 
men.  Misbehavior  is  more  rare  among  women  than  men. 

Men  are  much  more  natural  and  child-like  in  their  man 
ners  and  conversation  than  women.  They  plunge  right 
into  a  subject,  while  women  wind  about  like  a  crystal  stream 
in  a  meadow.  The  minds  and  actions  of  men  are  more 
practical  than  those  of  women.  Women  are  more  fond  of 
dress,  and  fine  houses,  and  elegant  furniture,  than  men, 
They  have  more  time  to  devote  to  the  ornamental.  In 
some  places  there  is  much  rivalry  between  women  of  for 
tune  in  their  styles  of  living. 

The  passions  and  appetites  of  men  are  stronger  than  those 


310  COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 

of  women.  There  are  in  all  large  cities,  both  demons  and 
angels,  in  the  form  of  men.  One  class  is  luring  to  destruc 
tion,  while  the  other  is  trying  to  save.  Besides,  there  are 
all  intermediate  grades  —  every  class  and  condition.  The 
dominion  of  woman,  even  when  arbitrary,  is  rarely  cruel.  It 
is  rather  a  disposition  of  caprice,  than  of  oppression. 

Men  generally  have  more  uniform  tempers  than  women, 
but  it  is  because  they  have  better  health,  not  so  many  an 
noyances,  and  more  things  of  a  pleasant  and  interesting 
nature  to  occupy  their  minds.  Men  have  more  expanded 
views  and  better  judgment.  They  also  excel  women  iu 
business  qualifications.  Women  may  beg  more  successfully 
for  a  benevolent  object,  but  men  give  more  largely.  It  is 
not  that  women  are  less  generous  than  men,  but  most  of 
them  have  less  to  be  generous  with. 

The  customs  of  society  have  done  much  to  abolish  the 
original  characteristics  of  the  sexes.  The  qualities  for 
which  men  were  once  noted  as  men,  and  the  qualities  that 
gave  grace  to  women,  are  less  confined  to  the  sexes.  The 
line  of  demarcation  has  become  less  distinct.  As  a  general 
thing  the  qualities  have  become  modified,  and  blended,  in 
most  people.  Bravery,  courage,  and  firmness,  are  not  con 
fined  to  men,  nor  tenderness,  fortitude,  and  patience,  to 
women.  There  may  exist  more  stamina  iu  the  character 
of  men,  but  there  is  less  delicacy.  jVl£n  excel  in  humor, 
women  in  wit.  * 

Women  lead  a  more  sedentary  life  than  men.  They  are 
more  quiet  and  contemplative.  A  woman's  resources  for 
beguiling  thought  are  more  limited  than  a  man's.  Women's 
minds  are  less  strengthened  by  exercise  than  those  of  men. 
The  views  of  men  are  generally  less  superficial.  One  rea 
son  is,  they  mingle  more  with  each  other.  They  learn  much 
by  such  intercourse,  They  mix  indiscriminately.  There 
is  not  the  same  reserve  between  those  of  different  positions 
in  social  life«\ 

I  make  one  exception  in  regard  to  the  liberality  of  men's 
views.  It  is  that  the  mass  of  men  have  not  very  liberal,  just, 
or  correct  views,  of  what  women  may,  and  can,  do  with 


COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN.          311 

propriety.  They  would  limit  her  duties  entirely  to  home, 
whether  she  has  one  or  not.  They  would  not  permit  women 
to  enter  the  store,  the  workshop,  the  counting-room,  nor 
even  the  more  exalted  and  refining  atmosphere  of  the  study, 
or  the  atelier.  They  would  exclude  her  more  especially 
from  the  professions. 

The  attachments  of  men  for  women  are  thought  to  be 
more  short-lived,  but  more  fervent  and  ardent,  than  those 
of  women  for  men.  /The  friendship  of  women  for  each 
other  is  more  gentle  and  soothing,  less  deep  and  stirring, 
than  that  of  men  for  men.  The  coquetry  with  which  the 
female  sex  is  charged  is  fast  becoming  a  characteristic  of 
the  other.  Women  are  generally  more  tender  in  all  the 
relations  of  life,  and  the  performance  of  their  duties,  than 
men.  Women  have  more  delicacy  of  feeling,  and  a  keener 
appreciation  of  the  good  and  beautiful,  than  men.  Being 
more  moral,  on  an  average,  than  men,  they  make  the  best 
instructors  of  youth.  Women  are  thought  by  some  to  have 
less  moderation  than  men  —  to  be  more  subject  to  extremes. 
Women  have  more  fortitude,  men  more  courage.  Man  was 
made  to  act,  woman  to  endure.  The  dilKironces  in  im:;i  and 
women  arise  more  from  the  difference  in  training,  education, 
influence,  example,  and  association,  the  circumstances  arising 
from  a  difference  in  business  pursuits,  and  pecuniary  matters, 
and  other  contingencies  of  a  similar  nature,  than  from  any 
marked  characteristic  peculiar  to  the  sexes  —  any  native- 
born  antagonistic  elements. 

Says  Mrs.  Hale,  "  Of  all  the  sinful  deeds  done  on  earth, 
nine  tenths  are  committed  by  men,  or  caused  by  their 
wickedness.  More  than  three  fourths  of  the  professed  fol 
lowers  of  Christ,  are  women.  In  judging  between  the 
sexes,  Jesus  has  left  his  record,  that  man  is  the  greatest 
sinner ;  and  hence  Christian  lawgivers  should  take  warning 
and  example,  restrain  their  own  passions,  and  make  laws  to 
punish  their  own  sex,  while  carefully  protecting  the  honor, 
safety,  and  happiness  of  women.  I  anticipate  the  time  when 
wise  and  good  men  will  consider  this  subject  of  providing 
for  the  well-being  of  the  female  sex,  as  their  most  impor- 


312  COMPARISON  OF  MEN  AND    WOMEN. 

tant  earthly  duty.  Hitherto  the  mass  of  men,  in  Christian 
countries,  may  be  said  to  be  at  enmity  with  any  improve 
ment  of  women  that  does  not  gratify  their  own  sensuous 
properties.  Women  are  free  to  adorn  their  persons  ;  but  if 
they  seek  to  cultivate  their  minds  it  is  treason  against  the 
prerogative  of  man.  The  source  from  whence  this  jealousy 
of  female  intelligence  springs  is  not  fear  that  the  sex  will 
excel  in  learning ;  it  is  hatred  of  the  moral  influence  the 
sex  would  wield,  were  they  better  instructed.  Sensuality 
and  selfishness  always  dread  enlightened  women." 

If  truth  is  eternal,  and  if  men  and  women  are  both 
endowed  with  reason,  why  must  they  have  different  codes  of 
morals?  Works  for  the  moral  improvement  of  the  race  are 
especially  adapted  to  women  ;  those  more  intellectual,  as 
well  as  those  requiring  greater  physical  force,  are  best 
adapted  to  men. 

Says  Mrs.  Child,  "  The  character  and  condition  of  wo 
men  are  always  in  correspondence  with  those  of  men  ;  and 
both  sexes  have  always  furnished  about  an  equal  number  of 
exceptions  to  the  general  character  of  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  There  were  liberal-minded  women,  as  well  as  men, 
during  the  bigoted  times  of  Cromwell,  and  many  an  English 
matron,  of  stainless  character,  educated  her  pure-minded 
daughters  far  from  the  corrupting  court  of  Charles  II.  The 
excellent  Lady  Russell,  who  was  perhaps  the  very  best  wo 
man  in  the  world,  lived  in  those  profligate  times." 


WANT  OF  DEFINITENESS.  313 


WANT   OF   DEFINITENESS. 

WITH  a  boy,  the  question,  What  shall  I  be  ?  suggests  ( 
itself  in  the  early  hours  of  childhood.  In  the  more 
thoughtful  days  of  youth  it  comes  with  startling  earnestness, 
and  still  later,  as  manhood  approaches,  it  becomes  one  of 
momentous  importance.  The  joys  and  sorrows,  and  hopes 
and  fears,  the  misfortunes  and  success  of  life,  depend  much 
upon  the  decision.  The  youth  and  his  friends  ponder  the 
matter  day  after  day,  and  week  after  week.  The  question 
bears  the  stamp  of  sober  reality.  Such  is  the  early  part  of 
a  man's  career.  You  may  see  the  little  cadet  lift  his 
miniature  sword,  and  declare  his  intention  to  be  a  warrior. 
The  noisy  lad  in  his  merry  gambols  assures  his  mother  he 
will  some  day  be  a  gentleman,  quiet  and  sedate.  The  in 
dolent  school-boy  declares  his  design  of  forsaking  his  idle 
habits,  and  becoming  a  learned  physician,  or  pleader  at  the 
bar.  The  gallant  youth  seems  anxious  to  cast  the  veil  from 
dark  futurity,  to  read  his  destiny,  hoping  to  acquire  celebrity 
as  a  great  man,  and  leave 

"His  hope,  or  love,  or  truth,  or  liberty, 
To  be  a  rule,  and  law,  to  ages  that  survive." 

But  what  are  the  early  dreams  of  a  woman's  life?    What    1 
bright  visions  does  the  future  offer  to  her?     Perhaps  she 
thinks  she  will  marry,  and  live  as  her  mother  does.     If  not, 
the  life  of  a  teacher  is  most  likely  to  present  itself.     The 
whole  round  of  occupations  is  not  before  her  to  choose  from.  * 
No  hope  of  future  glory  excites  her.     No  prospect  of  rising 
in  the  world  by  her  own  exertions  comes  to  cheer  her  path 
way.     Her  infancy  is    soon  gone,   her  girlhood   past,  and 
youth's  pleasant  seasons  ended.     Then  come  the  cares  and 


314  WANT  OF  DEFINITENESS. 

anxieties  of  womanhood.  The  woman  either  marries  or 
remains  single.  If  she  remains  single,  unless  she  has  an 
income  of  her  own,  she  must  either  be  supported  by  rela 
tives,  or  earn  a  subsistence  for  herself.  Often  she  lingers 
on  in  the  family  of  some  relative  until  life  begins  to  wane. 
Then  the  memories  of  by-gone  days  come  to  mind.  All  the 
bright  joys  of  the  past  have  fled.  The  lightning  was  not 
more  swift,  nor  a  meteor  more  brilliant.  Her  life  is  like  a 
flower  which  in  the  morning  lifts  its  head  unseen  on  the 
mountain  top,  but  ere  noon  droops  and  withers  beneath  the 
burning  heat  of  midday.  She  considers  what  she  is,  and 
what  she  might  have  been.  She  contemplates  misspent 
hours,  and  golden  opportunities  lost.  She  had  been  the 
delicate  object  of  parents'  care.  A  mother's  tender  hand  had 
shielded  her  from  the  cold  and  chilling  winds  of  a  selfish 
world.  Her  affections  had  been  cultivated,  her  sensibilities 
cherished,  until  like  the  sensitive  plant  she  shrank  from  any 
save  the  gentlest  touch.  She  had  not  been  taught  to  brave 
the  difficulties  that  might  beset  her.  She  had  not  been  dis 
ciplined  for  the  battle  of  life.  She  had  not  been  fitted  to 
encounter  the  loneliness,  the  effort,  the  struggle  that  must  be 
made  to  supply  the  physical  wants.  And  in  her  hour  of 
need  she  finds  herself  pressed  down  in  the  scene  of  action, 
and  driven  far  back  by  the  current  of  competitors.  Amid 
the  temptations  of  an  evil  world  she  wants  a  safeguard.  In 
the  purity  of  her  thoughts,  the  benevolence  of  her  feelings, 
and  the  nobleness  of  her  soul,  she  finds  her  only  safeguard. 
But  she  looks  back  to  feel  that  if  she  had  been  •furnished 
with  an  occupation,  and  passed  through  the  discipline  neces 
sary  to  obtain  one,  she  might  have  been  among  the  foremost 
in  the  race  of  life.  Her  condition  and  circumstances  might 
have  been  different.  She  might  have  had  a  home  won  by 
her  own  exertions,  and  not  exist  a  dependent  on  some  one's ' 
bounty,  or  caprice. 

Of  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  women  that  struggle, 
and  labor,  their  whole  adult  lives,  how  few  rise  to  any  but 
a  subordinate  position  in  business  !  A  few  cannot  succeed 
from  want  of  native  ability,  a  large  number  from  want  of 


WANT  OF  DEFINITENESS.  315 

early  training,  and  a  still  larger  number  from  the  exclusion 
of  women  from  the  higher  branches  of  industry.    If  a  better    * 
class   of  occupations   were    opened   to    women,   the    same    I 
stimulus,  to    become   intelligent  and   energetic,    would   be 
given  as  to  men. 

Far  more  can  be  accomplished  where  some  definite  pur 
suit  is  kept  in  view  —  some  distinct  aim.  Then  one's  read 
ing  can  be  directed  in  that  way,  one's  thoughts  and  energies 
all  bent  in  the  same  direction.  The  hundreds  of  poor 
women  in  large  cities  that  live  from  hand  to  mouth  do  so 
from  the  want  of  some  definite  occupation,  or  not  being  J 
thoroughly  qualified  to  perform  any  one  branch  of  labor.  I 
They  do  house-cleaning,  wash  by  the  day,  sew,  knit,  go 
errands,  &c.,  &c.,  just  as  an  opportunity  offers  ;  but  the 
subsistence  is  so  precarious  that  they  may  often  suffer. 
Their  parents  are  to  blame  for  not  having  given  them  trades. 
They  were  brought  up  to  be  dependent,  and  then  left  with 
out  any  one  to  lean  upon.  No  individual  has  a  right  to 
become  a  parent  without  having  definitely  in  view  the  means 
of  providing  for,  and  properly  training,  his  children.  It  is 
a  sin  in  the  eyes  of  God. 

A  common  deficiency  is  the  want  of  some  one  of  ex 
perience,  and  judgment,  and  proper  moral  tone,  to  guide 
and  advise  the  young,  to  properly  cultivate  their  hearts,  and 
train  their  minds.  How  many  even  learned,  and  polished, 
men  and  women,  waste  their  time  and  talents,  from  the 
want  of  a  clear  and  distinct  consciousness  of  what  should  be 
done,  and  what  they  can  do.  Besides,  they  are  frequently 
drawn  away  from  the  attainment  of  some  great  aim,  the 
accomplishment  of  some  noble  work,  by  caprice,  passion,  or 
self-interest.  A  chaotic  mass  of  learning  is  not  rare  among 
the  women  of  our  country ;  but  the  want  of  discipline,  and 
distinct  aims,  make  it  of  comparatively  little  avail.  Pleas 
ure  may  be  derived  from  its  possession,  but  too  often  it  is 
not  applied  to  any  practical  purpose.  The  time,  talent, 
wealth,  and  strength,  wasted  by  idleness,  inefficiency,  and 
misguided  effort,  since  our  Saviour's  advent,  would,  com 
bined,  have  regenerated  the  world. 


316  WANT  OF  DEFINITENESS. 

The  work  DOW  done  by  women  in  non-domestic  employ 
ments  requires  but  little  skill,  consequently  women  are  not 
paid  as  men  are  who  have  skill  and  experience.  So  there 
is  little  competition  between  skilled  and  unskilled  labor. 
The  wages  of  middle  aged,  and  old  women,  fall  to  those  of 
the  young,  instead  of  those  of  the  young  increasing  with  the 
maturity,  and  experience,  of  years,  as  with  men.  A  man 
with  a  family  receives  double,  or  treble,  as  high  wages  as  a 
single  man.  A  man  can  lay  by  money,  and  make  for  him 
self  a  home,  and  a  reputation  —  a  woman  cannot.  She  can 
barely  earn  a  support  while  she  labors. 


WHAT  A    WOMAN  SHOULD  BE,  317 


WHAT   A  WOMAN   SHOULD  BE. 

SOME  women  are  by  nature  gifted  with  more  refinement 
of  feeling,  more  delicacy  of  thought,  than  others.    Edu 
cation,  or  training,  makes  a  still  greater  difference. 

A  woman's  virtuous  counsels  are  a  beacon-light  to  save 
from  the  rocks  and  quicksands  of  this  stormy  world,  but  the 
evil  counsels  of  a  woman  lead  to  ruin  and  misery. 

There  are  a  thousand  little  courtesies  that  woman  alone 
is  capable  of  performing ;  volumes  could  not  contain  all  the 
delicate  minutiae  that  form  a  true  lady.  The  feeling  that 
makes  one  must  be  native. 

Order  and  harmony  should  prevail  in  all  the  arrange 
ments  of  a  lady.  In  the  adjustment  of  her  dress  —  the 
furniture  of  her  room  —  her  studies  —  her  pastimes  —  her 
hours  for  rest,  —  in  all,  order,  system,  and  harmony,  are  im 
portant. 

A  kind  consideration  for  the  comfort  of  others  is  one  of 
the  most  lovely  traits  of  female  character.  A  woman  that 
does  not  discharge  her  duties,  as  wife  and  mother,  does  not 
deserve  the  name  of  woman. 

Gentleness,  tenderness,  and  decision  should  characterize 
a  woman.  A  cheerful,  contented,  and  forgiving  disposition 
should  mark  her  temper.  Nothing  is  more  to  be  admired 
than  modesty,  humility,  and  consistency.  They  form  bright 
jewels  in  the  crown  of  virtues.  A  warm  heart,  and  refined 
manners,  command  admiration  and  love  ;  but  a  cultivated 
intellect  will  add  a  greater  charm,  and  enable  a  woman  to 
accomplish  more  good.  It  is  surprising  how  much  more 
information  some  people  impart  than  others.  It  is  like  the 
soil  that  appropriates  mineral  and  vegetable  properties,  pro 
duces  a  change  in  them,  and  sends  them  forth  under  new 


318  WHAT  A    WOMAN  SHOULD  BE. 

forms  and  aspects,  animate  with  life  and  beauty.  Just  so 
individuals  take  in  facts  and  principles,  by  the  operations 
of  the  brain  and  heart,  and  stamp  their  own  impress.  Then 
by  the  gift  of  speech,  or  the  use  of  the  pen,  they  fmpart 
those  facts  and  principles,  modified  by  their  own  idiosyn 
crasies. 

Happiness  depends  as  much  on  the  condition  of  the  mind 
as  on  extraneous  circumstances.  Like  the  lonely  flower 
that  exhales  its  sweetest  perfume  when  crushed,  so  the  best 
traits  of  woman's  heart  are  often  developed  by  privation, 
sorrow,  or  some  other  unfavorable  turn  of  fortune.  It  is  as 
well  to  let  the  living  spirit  seek  and  find  companionship  — 
to  pour  forth  its  warm,  gushing  feelings  —  to  love,  even  if 
that  love  prove  a  false  dream,  a  delusive  phantom. 

"  How  continually  in  retirement,  and  in  the  world,  is  the 
lesson  of  submission  forced  upon  woman  !  To  suffer,  and 
be  silent  under  suffering,  seems  the  great  command  she  has 
to  obey,  while  man  is  allowed  to  wrestle  with  calamity,  and 
to  conquer  or  die  in  the  struggle." 

We  think  the  position  so  long  sustained  by  woman  as  the 
slave,  and  then  the  angel,  of  man,  and  her  subsequent  depen 
dence,  have  made  her  too  subservient  to  him  in  her  opinions. 
Not  that  we  would  depreciate  the  most  unbounded  reverence 
for  the  opinions  of  good,  wise,  and  unselfish  men  ;  but  women 
have  so  long  had  men  to  think  for  them,  that  we  fear  the 
mass  of  women  do  not  think  freely  enough  for  themselves. 
They  do  not  form  opinions  of  their  own,  through  the  clear 
medium  of  reason.  They  are  too  likely  to  rely  entirely  on 
the  opinions  of  the  men  with  whom  they  are  associated, 
wrhether  husband,  brother,  or  father,  without  considering 
whether  he  is  a  man  of  sound  sense,  good  principle,  and 
devoid  of  prejudice  in  his  judgments. 

u  The  reason  men  are  not  generally  so  much  given  to 
trifling  as  women,  is,  they  have  some  object  for  thought 
beyond  dressing  and  eating.  They  dress  and  eat,  but  their 
larger  intercourse  with  society  furnishes  some  food  for 
thought,  even  while  engaged  in  those  necessary  avocations. 
Women  require  something  to  think  about,  as  well  as  men." 


WHAT  A    WOMAN  SHOULD  BE.  319 

Woman  is  physically,  mentally,  and  morally,  more  deli 
cately  organized  than  man.  In  excess  this  delicacy  is  apt 
to  render  women  nervous,  languid,  and  indolent.  Indeed 
some  think  it  excites  an  interest,  and  under  that  impression 
even  affect  an  infirmity.  We  must  acknowledge,  we  are  so 
old-fashioned  in  our  views,  as  to  delight  in  seeing  a  woman 
active  and  energetic.  In  our  eyes  such  .a  one  looks  as  if 
created  for  some  purpose.  A  large-hearted,  free-spoken, 
sensible,  earnest  woman,  we  like.  Such  a  woman  can  work 
and  rest,  can  think  and  feel,  can  reason  and  be  reasoned 
with.  A  woman  that  will  strengthen  virtuous  principle  by 
a  judicious  influence,  is  one  to  be  prized. 

The  exercise  of  all  the  powers,  mental,  moral,  and  physi 
cal,  is  necessary  for  a  harmonious  and  complete  develop 
ment  of  woman's,  as  well  as  man's,  character. 

There  is  more,  with  the  majority  of  people,  in  the  man 
ner  of  doing  things  than  in  the  acts  themselves.  You  must 
let  a  person  know,  without  seeming  to  do  so,  that  you  are 
doing  him  a  favor  if  you  expect  his  thanks.  Constant  sac 
rifice,  and  unremitting  exertion,  may  not  receive  any  hearty 
expressions  of  gratitude,  but  the  individual  will  be  likely  to 
recall  such  sacrifice  and  exertion  when  needed  again.  In 
some  cases,  your  indignation  is  likely  to  betray  a  conscious 
ness  that  you  expect  a  reasonable  degree  of  appreciation, 
and  your  words  to  that  effect  may  lead  the  recipient  to  bet 
ter  understand  both  you  and  himself.  A  true  woman  asks 
no  other  triumph  than  that  of  a  just  and  honorable  kind. 
Her  triumph  will  be  in  winning  the  evil  from  error,  sus 
taining  those  that  do  right,  and  cheering  the  pathway  of  the 
lonely,  in  being  blessed  by  blessing  others. 

Of  all  jewels  that  adorn  woman's  character,  truth  is  one 
of  the  brightest.  It  casts  splendor  over  all  the  others. 
Woman  has  been  charged  with  being  deceitful.  If  more  so 
than  the  other  sex,  which  we  doubt,  has  not  man  done  much 
to  cause  it  by  his  tyranny  and  injustice?  Nothing  is  more 
alien  to  the  nature  of  a  perfect  woman  than  boldness  and 
selfishness. 

Woman's  potent  influence  socially  has  long  been  acknowl- 


320  WHAT  A    WOMAN  SHOULD  BE. 

edged.  Supremacy  in  moral  worth  is  generally  conceded  to 
woman  by  the  other  sex,  but  with  it  let  her  combine  mental 
power,  and  then  may  she  stand  still  higher. 

When  women  consider  their  destiny,  the  question  arises 
in  their  minds,  For  what  were  we  created  ?  Was  it  to  make 
an  idol  of  pleasure,  of  fashion,  of  wealth,  or  honor?  The 
worldly  woman  may  answer  in  the  affirmative,  but  not  so 
the  Christian.  She  turns  to  the  Bible,  the  treasure-house  of 
earth's  richest  gems,  the  depository  of  life's  noblest  gifts, 
the  casket  of  peace,  of  hope,  and  happiness. 

That  which  sheds  a  lustre  over  all  woman's  virtues  is 
true,  unaffected  piety.  It  forms  the  topmost  jewel  in  her 
crown,  shedding  a  magic  beauty  over  the  rest.  It  is  a 
halcyon  light  about  her  path,  giving  a  charm  to  her  every 
thought,  word,  and  action.  It  confers  energy  and  noble 
ness  of  mind.  It  is  a  stimulus  to  support  woman  in  her 
unceasing  round  of  duties.  In  times  of  affliction  it  cheers 
her  drooping  heart.  In  hours  of  adversity  it  opens  to  her 
view  a  brighter  and  happier  world.  It  gives  woman  a  higher 
sense  of  her  influence  and  responsibility.  It  fits  her  better 
for  the  duties  of  daughter,  sister,  wife,  mother. 


POOR  HEALTH   OF   WOMEN.  321 


POOR  HEALTH   OF  AMERICAN   WOMEN. 

THE  want  of  health  in  Americans  is  fast  becoming  pro 
verbial.  A  gentleman  of  intelligence  once  told  me 
that  the  belief  originated  with  the  English,  and  is  without 
just  foundation  ;  but  I  am  convinced,  by  ocular  demonstra 
tion,  that  the  tender  and  fragile  nature  of  American  women 
is  not  a  myth. 

The  want  of  physical  exercise  by  American  girls,  while 
growing  up,  is  one  cause  of  their  premature  old  age.  Much 
of  the  insanity  that  affects  our  land  is  attributed  by  phy 
sicians  to  the  want  of  bodily  out-door  exercise  in  childhood, 
and  the  precocions  development  of  mind.  With  the  an 
cients  physical  culture  first  received  attention,  then  moral, 
then  mental.  The  American  girls  have  a  fairer,  fresher 
appearance  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  years  of  age  than  for 
eigners,  but  fade  earlier. 

The  loss  of  health  and  dejection  of  spirits,  of  single  wo 
men,  in  the  middle  and  higher  classes  of  society,  arise  mostly 
from  the  want  of  some  regular  occupation,  some  definite 
aim,  some  high  and  elevating  pursuit.  We  believe  it  is 
Alexander  Walker  who  says,  "  It  would  be  easy  to  show 
that  disease,  as  well  as  deformity,  is  an  inevitable  result  of 
the  neglect  of  active  duties."  Dr.  Combe  says,  "  Inactivity 
of  intellect  and  feeling  is  a  very  frequent  predisposing  cause 
of  every  form  of  nervous  disease.  For  evidence  of  this  we 
have  only  to  look  at  the  numerous  victims  to  be  found, 
who  have  no  call  to  exertion  in  gaining  the  means  of  sub 
sistence,  and  no  objects  of  interest  on  which  to  exercise 
their  mental  faculties.  The  intellect  and  feelings,  not  being 
provided  with  interests  external  to  themselves,  must  either 
21 


322        POOR  HEALTH  OF  WOMEN. 

become  inactive  and  weak,  or  work  upon  themselves,  and 
thus  become  diseased.  The  most  frequent  victims  of  this 
kind  of  predisposition  are  females  of  the  middle  and  higher 
classes,  especially  those  of  a  nervous  constitution  and  of 
good  natural  abilities.  The  liability  of  such  persons  to 
melancholy,  hysteria,  hypochoudriasis,  and  other  varieties 
of  mental  disease,  really  depends  on  a  state  of  irritability 
of  the  brain,  occasioned  by  imperfect  exercise." 

The  health  of  women  that  work  in  the  fields  is  generally 
excellent  —  and  why?  because  of  their  exercise  in  pure 
out-door  air.  O  that  I  could  impress  on  my  countrywomen, 
in  the  higher  walks  of  life,  the  necessity  of  more  exercise 
in  the  open  air.  It  will  give  women  clearer  thoughts,  firmer 
principles,  more  patience,  self-reliance,  and  stability  of  char 
acter.  It  will  give  vigor  and  freedom  to  both  mind  arid 
body.  Especially  would  we  recommend  this  panacea  to  the 
consideration  of  young  mothers.  Since  the  hydropathic 
system  has  become  fashionable,  we  think  more  attention  has 
been  paid  to  the  general  health  of  the  body.  A  prudent 
diet,  out-door  exercise,  relaxation,  and  freedom  from  the  use 
of  strong  medicine,  are  tending  to  restore  strength  and  vigor 
to  many  shattered  constitutions. 

The  early  entrance  into  society  of  most  American  ladies 
has  its  bad  effect.  The  night  is  devoted  to  fashionable 
gayeties,  and  the  day  to  rest.  This  accords  with  the  fast 
and  sanguine  character  of  our  people.  The  dissipated, 
unsettled  state  of  mind  it  engenders,  the  intense  love  of 
excitement,  and  fondness  for  admiration,  are  certainly  dis 
advantageous. 

Women  marry  too  early  and  live  too  secluded.  Many 
are  scarcely  out  of  school  before  they  have  settled  down  as 
wives  and  housekeepers.  The  cares  of  a  family  are  devolving 
on  them  before  they  have  the  strength  and  nerve  to  perform 
them.  One  reason  that  our  female  ancestors  lasted  longer 
and  had  better  health  was,  that  their  minds  were  not  so 
much  taxed,  nor  the  nerves  so  highly  strung.  They  had  the 
full  use  of  their  powers.  Their  physical  health  was  better 
—  their  constitutions  stronger.  Those  that  had  much  men- 


POOR  HEALTH  OF  WOMEN.        323 

tal   activity  generally  had    sufficient   physical  exertion   to 
counterbalance   it. 

Most  women  know  not  enough  of  the  laws  that  govern 
health,  and  of  the  diseases  incident  to  their  sex  and  chil 
dren.     How  often   do  we   see  peevishness  and  impatience 
manifested  by  a  sickly  wife  and  mother,  that,  by  a  knowl 
edge  of  the  laws  of  health,  and  strict  observance  of  them, 
might  be  strong  and  healthy,  and  fitted  for  her  responsible 
and    arduous  duties!     The    majority  of  married    women, 
with  families  of  small  children,  need   more  relaxation,  and 
a  greater  variety  of  innocent  recreations.     Many  of  them 
become  so  chained  down  in  body  and  mind,  by  the  miuutiaj 
of  household  cares  and  labor,  that  their  health  and  spirits 
sink  beneath  the  load,  and  in  appearance,   strength,   and 
feeling  they  grow  prematurely  old.     Some  housewives  suffer 
much   annoyance    from   bad    servants,   and   some   perform 
drudgery  for  which  they  are   unfitted.     The  amount  of  in- 
door°labor  performed  by  American  women,  especially  in  the 
Northern  States,  is  astonishing.     What  affects  the  body  in 
fluences  the  mind,  and  vice  versa.    When  either  is  worn  and 
irritated,  it  acts  on  the  other.    English  women  usually  have 
better  servants   and  more  of  them.     They  walk   and    ride 
more,  marry  later,  and  have  by  nature  better  constitutions. 
Most  American  men   are   so  absorbed  in  business  they 
have  not  time  to  relieve  their  wives  at  all  of  domestic  cares, 
and  fail  to  give  them  encouragement  and  friendly  advice. 
The  want  of  congeniality  in  the  dispositions  of  husbands 
and  wives,  and  the  customs  of  social  life,  often  produce  a 
discord  in  the  home-circle  that  is  detrimental  to  health.    The 
readiness  of  American  women  to  make  any  exertion  for  Uie- 
good  of  those  they  love  is  highly  commendable,  yet,  in  jus 
tice  to  themselves,  they  should  not  make  sacrifices  that  will 
involve  their  soundness  of  mind  or  body. 

Another  source  of  discomfort,  and  even  of  ill  health,  is 
occupying  imperfectly-ventilated  rooms.  Especially  is  this 
the  case  with  the  poorer  classes  of  people. 

Another  cause  of  ill  health  is  want  of  sufficient  sleep, 
and  another  is  anxiety  of  mind,  caused  by  uncertainty  of 


324  POOR   HEALTH  OF  WOMEN. 

obtaining  the  means  of  living,  and  the  fear  of  want  in  the 
future. 

The  general  use  of  flour  bread,  and  constipating  food,  are 
fertile  sources  of  indigestion,  with  its  train  of  ailments.  In 
addition  is  the  excess  of  food,  in  which  Americans  indulge. 
They  eat  even  more  heartily  than  the  English,  and  indulge 
more  than  any  other  civilized  nation  in  the  use  of  warm, 
liquid,  oily  substances. 

The  quantity,  quality,  and  nature  of  food  should  depend 
somewhat  on  the  occupation  of  the  individual,  as  well  as 
constitutional  tendencies  to  special  diseases.  Another  cause 
of  the  poor  health  of  American  women,  is  the  want  of 
thoroughly  educated  and  experienced  female  physicians,  to 
whom  they  may  explain  their  diseases,  and  from  whom  they 
may  receive  relief.  Quack  medicines  have  done  much  to 
bring  about  the  present  low  state  of  health.  They  will 
account  in  many  cases  for  weak  nerves,  aching  bones,  and 
shattered  frames. 

A  lady  of  foreign  birth  spoke  to  me  of  Americans  being 
so  nervous,  and  attributed  it  partly  to  the  climate.  She 
thought  it  marvelous  that  Americans  have  such  good  forms 
as  they  do,  when  they  grow  so  rapidly,  but  attributed  it  to 
their  restlessness,  which  prevented  their  being  long  in  one 
position,  so  that  any  defect  was  not  likely  to  become  fixed. 
Much  of  the  ill  health  of  shop-girls  is  brought  on  by  their 
standing  so  long  and  constantly,  and  the  employer  who  will 
not  allow  his  store-women  to  sit  down  and  rest  when  they 
can,  deserves  to  lose  his  patronage. 

Another  cause  of  premature  decay  and  increase  of  dis 
ease  is,  the  adoption  of  certain  fashions.  Fashion  has  ever 
been  a  tyrant,  and  those  who  yield  to  her  behests  must  pay 
dearly  for  the  homage.  One  form  of  disease,  so  common 
among  ladies  for  a  few  years  past,  has  been  attributed,  by 
some  of  our  best  physicians,  to  the  wearing  of  too  many 
and  too  heavy^  skirts  ;  and  some  who  saw  the  terrible  effects 
rejoiced  at  a  remedy  in  the  introduction  of  lighter  and  stiffer 
materials  for  skirts,  as  crinoline  and  whalebone.  A  more 
healthy  style  for  the  make  of  women's  apparel  would  be  to 


POOR   HEALTH   OF    WOMEN.  325 

have  the  skirts  shorter,  as  is  now  the  case  in  some  'places, 
and  the  weight  of  the  clothes  to  press  more  on  the  shoulders 
—  less  oil  the  waist  and  hips.  I  suppose  that  there  are 
none  who  will  read  this  but  have  learned  from  hearsay  or 
observation  —  perhaps  experience  —  something  of  the  inju 
rious  effects  of  tight  lacing.  By  wearing  heavy  skirts,  and 
lacing,  the  vitals  are  compressed,  their  action  retarded,  and 
eventually  disease  ensues.  Though  the  fashion  is  done 
away  to  a  great  extent,  its  bad  effects  are  not  entirely  gone. 
Fashion  is  so  arbitrary  that  often  in  midwinter  the  clothing 
of  a  lady  does  not  shield  her  chest.  The  searching  blasts 
of  winter  are  not  guarded  against.  The  sudden  changes  of 
the  American  climate  are  severe  enough  on  the  constitution 
at  best.  Most  American  women,  in  easy  circumstances,  are 
like  hot-house  plants,  chilled  by  the  fresh,  bracing  air,  that 
is  intended  to  strengthen  and  invigorate  them.  Their  slight 
est  exposure  to  cold  or  dampness  is  sure  to  be  followed  by 
catarrh.  What  traveler  that  observes  the  silk  hose  and  kid 
slippers  still  worn  by  some  American  women  in  the  rigors 
of  winter,  or  the  sacrifice  to  appearance  of  comfort  in  their 
clothing,  can  form  a 'favorable  opinion  of  their  judgment  and 
taste,  or  be  surprised  that  so  many  are  annually  carried  off 
by  that  lingering  and  insidious  disease  —  consumption? 

One  fertile  source  of  disease  is  getting  the  feet  wet.  An 
umbrella  and  gum  shoes  should  be  used  by  every  individual, 
when  exposed  to  the  inclemencies  of  out-door  weather.  Dress 
ing  so  as  to  injure  the  health  is  suicidal.  We  find,  as  a  general 
thing,  that  women  live  longer  in  southern  climates.  Never 
in  my  life  have  I  seen  so  many  invalid  women,  in  so  short 
a  time,  as  I  have  met  with  in  traveling  during  the  last  three 
years.  The  war  that  distracted  and  desolated  our  country, 
was  the  principal  cause  of  it.  The  loss  of  friends,  arid  the 
loss  of  property,  have  broken  the  hearts  and  ruined  the 
health  of  many.  The  anxiety  attending  the  absence  and 
the  uncertain  fate  of  fathers,  brothers,  husbands^feand  friends, 
has  made  the  nation  one  of  prematurely  old,  sad,  and  in 
valid  people. 

The  peculiarities  of  our  institutions,  the  nature   of  the 


326  POOR   HEALTH  OF   WOMEN. 

people,  the  mode  of  government,  and  other  circumstances, 
have  combined  to  develop  in  earlier  life,  more  fully  and  more 
rapidly,  the  capabilities  of  women  than  in  any  other  country. 

Pure  air,  out-door  exercise,  sufficient  light,  wholesome 
food,  frequent  bathing,  and  clean,  comfortable  clothing,  are 
the  best  preventives  of  disease.  Girls  growing  up  and  just 
reaching  womanhood  particularly  need  them.  Light  *aud 
fresh  air,  in  some  cases,  prove  not  only  preservatives  of 
health,  but  a  restorative  to  those  out  of  health.  Dark 
rooms  and  solitude  tend  to  produce  mental  as  well  as  bodily 
diseases. 

The  poor  health  of  American  women  has  done  much  to 
bring  about  that  deplorable  fashion  so  detrimental  to  domes 
tic  economy  and  happiness.  I  refer  to  the  plan  of  families 
boarding,  instead  of  keeping  house.  The  domestic  virtues  of 
men  suffer  by  it.  The  moral  influence  of  the  wife  is  lost,  to 
some  extent,  and  the  temptations  to  be  out  late  at  night,  in 
dissipating  and  expensive  amusements,  are  increased.  Par 
ents  also  lose  much  influence  and  control  over  their  children, 
and  are  apt  to  neglect  an  oversight  ^of  their  minds  and 
morals. 

Without  health  no  useful  purposes  can  be  attained  —  no 
vast  schemes  for  good  accomplished. 

Some  one  has  said,  "  He  who  is  not  a  physician  at  thirty 
is  a  fool  —  a  physician  to  his  mind  as  well  as  to  his  body, 
acquainted  with  his  own  moral  constitution  —  its  diseases, 
its  remedies,  its  diet,  its  conduct.'* 


MEN'S  ADVANTAGES.  327 


PECUNIARY,   PHYSICAL,  INTELLECTUAL,  AND 
SOCIAL  ADVANTAGES   OF   MEN. 

AFTER  leaving  school  there  is  a  much  greater  differ 
ence  between  the  conditions  of  young  women  than 
young  men.  The  former  associate  freely  together  at  school, 
but  when  they  enter  into  society,  dress,  education,  and  the 
thousand  etceteras  that  go  towards  making  up  a  woman, 
stamp  her  position  —  and  very  often  falsely.  With  men  it 
is  different.  They  can,  to  a  great  extent,  win  a  position  for 
themselves.  They  are  not  so  much  trammeled  by  the  laws 
of  society  and  custom.  The  republican  feeling  that  exists 
among  the  majority  of  men  is  unknown  to  most  women. 
If  circumstances  or  relations  are  unfavorable  to  a  man's 
advancement,  he  can  go  to  a  new  place,  and  gain  for  himself 
a  home,  character,  and  influence.  It  is  more  difficult  for  a 
lady  to  do  so,  particularly  if  she  is  without  gentlemen 
acquaintances,  to  whom  she  can  apply  for  guidance,  and 
letters  of  introduction.  Indeed,  a  woman  cannot  forever  cut 
herself  off  from  her  relatives  unless  she  marry,  and  then  she 
is  not  certain  of  doing  so.  A  woman  with  an  unhappy 
home  deserves  sympathy  and  consideration.  It  seemed 
to  me,  during  the  war,  that  nearly  one  half  the  men  and 
women  I  met  with  were  partially  crazed,  from  losing 
their  trust  in  God,  and  having  more  labor,  trouble,  anxiety, 
sorrow,  and  disappointment,  than  they  could  endure.  The 
revolution  of  the  times  has  cast  a  large  portion  of  educated 
and  refined  people  from  the  topmost  round  in  fortune's 
ladder  to  its  foot,  while  it  has  raised  the  coarse  and  ignorant 
to  the  highest  rounds.  Blind  fortune  has  been  as  senseless 
as  unjust  in  the  turnings  of  her  wheel.  The  aristocracy  of 
the  present  day,  in  the  United  States,  is  of  a  mushroom 
growth  —  it  sprang  up  in  a  night  —  it  has  not  been  forming 


328  ML'X'S  ADVAXTAUES. 

from  one  generation  to  another,  of  the  best  material  of  the 
land.  Many  a  man,  with  but  little  effort  of  his  own,  has 
sprung  from  poverty  and  obscurity,  to  wealth  and  distinc 
tion,  without  the  requisite  intellectual  culture  for  the  posi 
tion.  Money  is  an  excellent  friend,  and  it  is  a  sad  fact,  that 
it  will  carry  us  through  the  world  more  easily,  comfortably, 
and  cheerfully,  than  any  other  unconnected  with  heaven. 
Yet  the  question  sometimes  arises,  Do  not  people  lose 
their  humanity  in  proportion  as  they  acquire  riches?  If  so, 
are  they  worth  exhausting  toil,  and  the  sacrifice  of  pleasure, 
and  health,  to  acquire?  Many  a  poor  being  on  the  high 
road  of  life  hammers,  and  breaks,  the  rocks  into  stone,  over 
which  the  proud,  scornful,  hard-hearted,  rich  usurper  is 
driven.  Said  usurper  looks  down  upon  the  hand  laborer  as 
at  an  immeasurable  distance  below  him.  There  is  a  vast 
amount  of  selfishness  and  egotism  in  the  world.  Stony, 
flinty  grit  is  the  business  experience  of  every-day  life  to 
some  of  the  poor.  Thereby  the  draught  obtained  by 
personal  exertion  is  often  turned  to  wormwood  and  gall. 
Men  who  gain  wealth  by  their  own  exertions  are  usually 
more  vain  of  it,  than  when  it  is  left  to  them. 

We  have  referred  elsewhere  to  the  want  of  proportionate 
profit  resulting  from  the  exercise  of  equal  taleuts  and  attain 
ments  in  men  and  women.  Men  are  educated  for  profes 
sions,  or  trades,  and  generally  make  a  comfortable  living. 
A  woman's  education  may  cost  as  much  ;  but  how  rarely 
can  she  turn  her  education  to  the  same  pecuniary  advantage  ! 
Men  receive  such  compensation  for  their  services  as  enables 
them  to  lay  by  something  for  emergencies.  So  they  have 
not  occasion  to  suffer,  as  many  women  do,  from  apprehen 
sions  of  want,  and  loneliness,  in  sickness,  through  declining 

years. 

Men  have  more  strength  than  women,  their  style  of  dress 
is  not  so  injurious,  they  are  more  accustomed  to  being  on 
their  feet,  *  the  open  air,  and  are  not  subject  to  the  physical 
exhaustion  of  women.  These,  with  their  naturally  stronger 
frames,  and  more  active  occupations,  tend  to  render  life 
more  agreeable  to  them.  They  can  more  easily  cast  oif 
care,  and  brace  themselves  under  adverse  circumstances. 


MEN'S  ADVANTAGES.  329 

Men  have  over  women  also  the  advantage  of  intellectual 
pleasure.  Usually  a  woman  of  superior  attainments  must, 
with  the  generality  of  her  own  sex,  confine  her  conversa 
tion  to  the  subjects  of  dress,  fashion,  and  the  every-day 
incidents  of  life,  or,  if  literature  is  dragged  in,  it  must  be  of 
a  light  kind  —  love  stories,  and  sentimental  rhyme.  With 
gentlemen  she  may  converse.  Yet  many  of  them,  however 
interested  and  profited  they  may  be  by  such  conversation, 
have  a  feeling  of  restraint  towards  such  a  lady,  as  if  they 
thought  she  had  stepped  from  her  "  sphere,"  and  in  so  doing 
excited  their  pity,  and  yet  their  gallantry  would  endeavor  to 
put  her  at  ease.  Why  is  it?  Is  it  that  such  men  fear  to 
recognize  equality,  or  superiority,  in  a  woman  ?  Is  it  that 
they  fear  criticism?  Is  it  that  such  women  are  rare,  and 
men  fear  that  they  cannot  interest  them  ?  Or  is  it  that  the 
want  of  self-reliance,  sensitiveness,  and  a  fear  of  criticism, 
are  likely  to  render  such  women  reserved  and  ungenial? 
We  know  not,  but  rather  think  it  may,  in  most  cases,  arise 
from  a  combination  of  these  causes. 

We  think  ladies  and  gentlemen  are  both  to  blame,  to 
some  extent,  for  such  a  state  of  affairs.  If  ladies,  whose  male 
relatives  and  friends  would  love  to  see  them  educated  and 
intelligent,  would  only  become  so,  gentlemen  would  not 
entertain  such  ladies  with  light  and  frivolous  talk  —  it  would 
be  different.  Yet  we  would  make  some  honorable  ex 
ceptions  to  these  statements,  for  there  are  educated  men 
who  enjoy  the  society  of  cultivated  women,  and  do  what 
they  can  to  promote  strength  of  mind,  and  dignity  of  char 
acter,  in  the  female  members  of  their  own  families,  and 
among  their  lady  acquaintances. 

Mind  in  woman,  as  a  general  thing,  is  not  brought  fully 
into  exercise.  Men  are  in  the  world  meeting  with  their 
friends  and  aquaintances  every  day.  Their  conversational 
powers  are  brought  into  play,  their  wits  sharpened,  and 
their  faculties  of  course  more  exercised.  Their  information 
is  brought  more  constantly  and  practically  into  use.  As 
face  answereth  to  face,  as  iron  sharpeueth  iron,  as  diamond 
cutteth  diamond,  so  the  contact  of  mind  writh  mind^brings 
out  its  beauty  and  strength. 


330  MEN'S  ADVANTAGES. 

A  large  majority  of  men  make  their  business,  or  some 
thing  connected  with  it,  the  topic  of  conversation.  As  few 
women  have  anything  of  the  kind  to  interest  them,  it  is  not 
strange  that  many  are  often  at  a  loss  for  improving  topics, 
or  indulge  freely  in  such  as  are  trifling. 

A  woman,  with  a  family  of  young  children,  becomes  so 
absorbed  in  providing  for  their  material  wants,  that  she 
finds  little  time  for  the  improvement  of  her  mind.  Her 
husband  should  endeavor  to  supply  that  want,  as  he  has 
leisure  for  reading,  and  is  thrown  with  other  men,  from 
whom  he  gains,  or  should  gain,  much  intelligence.  The 
conversation  of  intellectual  and  refined  meu  is  a  rich  treat 
to  most  women  of  education. 

In  the  present  day  the  power  in  an  intelligent  community 
lies  in  thought,  not  in  physical  force. 

We  sometimes  see  those  characteristics  considered  as 
belonging  to  one  sex  exhibited  by  the  opposite  sex.  We 
occasionally  see  women  with  reasoning  powers,  breadth  of 
comprehension,  aud  mental  attainments,  equal  to  the  most 
superior  men,  while  now  and  then  we  meet  with  men  pos 
sessing  all  the  sympathy,  fineness  of  feeling,  and  poetry  of 
sentiment,  common  to  the  fairer  sex.  Men  can  be  brave 
and  courageous,  and  yet  possess  all  the  finer,  softer,  gentler 
qualities  of  woman.  Our  Saviour  is  an  example. 

Most  people  are  whatever  it  is  their  interest  to  be.  The 
majority  are  devoid  of  moral  courage,  and  without  original 
ity  of  thought.  A  gentleman  once  remarked  to  me,  that  he 
thought  a  smart  woman  could  get  along  better  in  the  world 
than  a  smart  man  ;  but  an  ordinary  woman  could  not  get 
along  so  well  as  an  ordinary  man. 

The  natural  wants  of  man  are  greater  than  those  of  any 
other  animal.  As  an  equivalent,  nature  has  afforded  greater 
natural  and  artificial  means  for  gratifying  them. 

Most  men  are  ambitious.  That  makes  them  discontented. 
Ail  acquaintance  remarked  to  me,  it  is  more  excusable  that 
men  should  struggle  to  acquire  wealth  than  fame,  for  fame 
is  very  unsatisfactory,  while  wealth  brings  with  it  many 
comforts.  Yet  the  heart  craves  something  higher  and  bet- 


ADVANTAGES.  331 

ter  than  either  wealth  or  fame.  It  will  not  be  satisfied. 
There  is  in  the  never-dying  soul  a  longing  for  something 
more  satisfactory  than  earth  can  yield. 

People  of  a  warm,  impulsive  nature  rarely  have  uniform 
tempers.  Such  tempers  are  more  often  possessed  by  cool, 
selfish,  calculating  people,  who  study  only  their  own  interests, 
or  by  those  who  have  acquired  them  by  a  careful  watchful 
ness  and  self-control.  The  ignorant  are  as  rarely  amiable, 
and  uniformly  kind,  as  the  learned  ;  but  there  is  greater 
ability  with  them  to  throw  off  care,  a  negligent  indifference, 
and  a  docility,  the  result  of  submissive  inferiority,  that 
with  some  people  acquires  the  name  of  good  temper.  Men 
have  more  control  of  their  tempers  than  women,  owing  to 
their  better  health,  and  their  freedom  from  the  little  annoy 
ances  that  beset  a  woman.  Besides,  their  work  is  such  as 
to  more  pleasantly,  and  fully,  occupy  the  mind.  In  ad 
dition  they  have  more  encouragement  by  looking  forward  to 
an  advancement  in  their  business,  to  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  or  fame,  to  a  desirable  establishment  in  life,  and  to 
an  old  age  of  ease  and  competency. 

Men  have  the  advantage  of  women  in  selecting  from  a 
large  number  of  the  opposite  sex  one  to  love,  and  in  making 
that  love  known.  A  woman,  even  if  her  affections  are 
deliberately  won  by  a  man,  is  not  expected  to  manifest  her 
attachment  until  he  declares  his.  Or  if  he  chooses  he  may 
deliberately  leave  her  without  explanation  to  perish  in 
wretchedness  and  intense  suffering.  Among  many  cases 
that  have  come  under  my  observation  I  will  mention  one. 
A  man  occupying  a  high  and  responsible  civil  office,  who 
sits  in  judgment  upon  men  and  women,  for  trivial  offenses, 
pronouncing  a  severe  penalty  for  such,  coolly  and  deliberate 
ly,  yet  with  passion  and  fervor,  by  looks,  manners,  and 
attention,  though  not  in  words,  won  the  affections  of  a  highly 
respectable,  worthy,  cultivated  woman  (in  every  respect  his 
equal,  if  not  his  superior),  and  then  without  explanation,  or 
known  cause,  neglected  her,  and  wounded  her  feelings  before 
others.  That  man  stood  high  in  the  world  as  a  gentleman, 
and  in  the  church  as  a  Christian.  Was  he  in  reality  either 
a  gentleman  or  a  Christian  ? 


332  W HA T  A    MAN  SHOULD  BE. 


WHAT  A   MAN   SHOULD   BE. 

OF  course  no  one  is  responsible  for  what  he  is  by 
nature,  or  education,  but  he  is  for  his  deeds  of  omis 
sion  and  commission,  so  far  as  they  are  the  result  of 
opportunity  for  learning  what  is  right  and  wrong.  "  Moth 
ers  often  endeavor  to  dwarf  the  masculine  life  down  to  the 
standard  of  the  feminine  one  —  to  narrow  under  the  name 
of  refining,  to  weaken  and  call  it  purification.  It  would  be 
better  if  men  were  more  influenced  by  reason  —  less  by 
instinct  —  were  more  earnest  and  sincere." 

The  selfishness  of  a  majority  of  American  men  is  sur 
prising.  They  collect,  and  talk,  and  go  to  places  of 
amusement,  but  they  do  not  often  take  their  wives  and 
daughters.  In  that  respect,  the  Germans  are  a  model  for 
all  nations.  Their  amusements  differ  from  those  of  Amer 
icans,  but  if  they  were  the  same,  no  doubt  they  would  make 
the  same  efforts  to  have  their  families  enjoy  their  pas 
times  with  them,  while  if  Americans  participated  in  those 
of  the  Germans,  they  would  continue  to  confine  them  to 
their  own  sex. 

The  leisure  afforded  in  the  United  States,  by  a  fair  com 
pensation  to  men  for  their  labor,  leaves  them  without  an 
excuse  for  ignorance.  Mankind  are  mentally  dependent,  as 
well  as  physically. 

A  woman's  character  and  station  depend  somewhat  upon 
herself,  but  not  so  much  as  a  man's.  Circumstances,  and 
domestic  relations,  have  a  strong  bearing  upon  the  destiny 
of  women.  The  majority  stand  higher  in  a  moral  point  of 
view  than  men.  Compare  the  number  of  idle  men  with 
the  number  of  idle  women,  in  a  village,  or  town.  Compare 


WHAT  A  MAN    SHOULD  BE.  333 

the  number  of  dissipated  men  and  women.  Compare  the 
number  in  a  country  neighborhood,  or  in  your  city  circle  of 
acquaintances.  Then  tell  me  what  comparison  the  sexes 
bear  each  other  morally.  Compare  the  number  of  working 
hours  of  men  and  women  everywhere  ;  compare  the  amount 
of  work  accomplished  in  proportion  to  their  physical 
strength.  Then  say  in  whose  favor  the  scales  sink. 

Men  with  strong  wills  and  bad  dispositions,  united,  are 
likely  to  trample  on  the  weak.  Their  wives  and  children 
are  in  danger  of  suffering  from  their  ungoverned  passions 
and  imperious  wills.  If  they  do  not  control  their  tempers 
they  blight  the  prospects  of  their  children,  and  domestic 
misery  is  the  fate  of  their  wives.  Such  a  man  ceases  to 
see  the  injustice  and  oppression  of  his  course.  In  the  pride 
of  his  soul  he  feels  himself  a  demigod,  and  forgets  his 
responsibility,  and  relation  to  the  Maker  of  heaven  arid 
earth.  No  man  has  a  right  to  govern  the  soul  of  his  wife. 
She  owes  duties  to  her  God,  as  well  as  her  husband,  and 
she  should  never  sacrifice  the  first  to  the  last.  The  harsh 
and  arbitrary  conduct  of  some  men,  in  their  families,  is 
such,  that  the  mental  faculties  of  their  wives  and  children 
become  weakened,  and  their  dispositions  irritable. 

"  Cowards  only  are  the  unnatural  enemies  of  woman  ; 
and  the  man  who  pursues  her  with  private  calumny,  or 
public  hate,  is,  if  all  were  known,  but  one  of  nature's 
monsters" 

When  a  man  ceases  to  repose  confidence  in,  and  give  his 
affections  to,  his  own  family,  but  attaches  himself  to 
strangers,  he  perils  his  own  happiness  and  good,  and  that 
of  his  family.  When  such  is  the  case  with  a  woman  it  is 
a  sad  and  equally  perilous  thing  —  sad  that  it  is,  or  must 
be  so,  and  equally  perilous  in  its  consequences. 

Nothing  iu  life  is   more  beautiful  than  the  strong  love 

r?  o 

and  confidence  existing  in  a  happily  united  man  and 
wife.  If  congenial  in  taste  and  disposition,  if  living  with 
an  earnest  desire  to  fulfill  their  duties  as  Christians  and 
members  of  society,  supporting  and  being  supported  by 
each  other,  with  an  earnest  desire  to  afford  their  children 


334  WHAT  A   MAN  SHOULD  BE. 

every  advantage  of  a  moral  and  religious  as  well  as  tem 
poral  character,  they  are  indeed  blessed.  Their  principal 
aim  and  great  hope  is  a  reunion  in  the  world  above  —  "a 
united  family,  not  a  wanderer  lost." 

Motion  is  a  more  natural  state  to  man  than  quiet.  Na 
ture  has  given  man  more  strength  than  woman  —  therefore 
greater  ability  for  physical  labor.  It  is  obligatory  on  a 
man,  so  far  as  he  can,  to  aid  his  helpless  or  infirm  female 
relatives.  A  man  that  does  not  provide  for  his  family  is 
unworthy  the  name  of  man. 

Of  what  use  are  riches  to  a  man  without  education  or 
cultivation,  unless  he  has  judgment  and  goodness  of  heart 
to  make  them  available  in  the  education  of  those  with 
whom  he  is  associated,  or  by  benefiting  the  destitute  and 
afflicted  ? 


MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SEXES.         335 


MUTUAL   INFLUENCE   OF   THE   SEXES. 


/CIVILIZATION  ameliorates  the  condition  of  woman, 
because  it  lessens  the  influence  of  physical  strength 


in  proportion  to  that  of  mind  ;  and  because  woman  is 
more  nearly  equal  to  man  in  the  power  of  intellect,  than  in 
strength  of  limb." 

"  It  is  obvious  that  whatever  develops  mind,  and  aug 
ments  its  ascendency  in  the  world,  must  add  to  the  respon 
sibility  of  woman,  who  depends  for  her  social  relation  upon 
the  moral  and  intellectual  influences  she  exerts  over  man. 
Accordingly,  though  chivalry  has  ceased  to  exist,  the  moral 
dignity  and  social  equality  of  the  female  sex  continue  to  be 
distinctive  of  Christendom." 

The  ability  of  men  to  concentrate  their  thoughts  and 
energies  exclusively  on  any  one  object  of  thought,  or  pur 
suit,  arises  principally,  but  not  exclusively,  from  a  business 
education.  The  engrossing  nature  of  boys'  amusements 
and  studies  serves  to  draw  the  whole  soul  into  action.  At 
school  they  are  required  to  have  fewer  books,  and  learn 
them  better,  than  girls.  The  thoughts  of  girls  are  more 
diverted,  and  their  time  more  divided  by  music,  drawing, 
and  other  accomplishments.  The  separating  line  in  the 
education  of  boys  and  girls  is  too  strongly  marked.  Indeed, 
none  should  exist.  In  early  and  later  life  their  spheres 
approximate  less  closely  than  they  should.  As  society 
exists,  men  and  women  are  mutually  dependent.  They 
should,  therefore,  be  mutual  helpers.  Life's  duties  and 
labors  ought  to  be  more  nearly  divided.  Women  are 
taught  to  regard  with  too  much  anxious  solicitude  the 
opinions  of  men,  and  too  little  their  accountability  to  God. 

The  ignorance  of  the  women  of  a  community  is  a  draw- 


336         MUTUAL   INFLUENCE   OF  THE  SEXES. 

back  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  men,  while  general  intel 
ligence  among  the  women  of  a  community  elevates  man 
and  renders  his  affairs  more  prosperous. 

"The  two  sexes,"  says  Thomas,  "  al ways  follow  one 
another  (though  at  a  little  distance,  by  imitation),  and  are 
elevated  or  improved,  or  weakened  or  corrupted,  together." 

For  the  most  perfect  condition  of  society  all  the  mental 
faculties  and  moral  attributes  of  its  members  must  be  f.dly 
developed.  The  qualities,  which,  by  education  and  the 
customs  of  society,  arc  made  to  some  extent  peculiar  to 
each  sex,  must  be  mutually  reflected. 

The  social,  moral,  and  intellectual  condition  of  woman 
lias  much  to  do  with  the  honor  and  standing  of  a  nation. 
The  glory  of  a  nation  and  its  intellectual  advancement  sink 
together.  The  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  in  France 
in  1792  has  been  attributed  to  the  social  intercourse  that 
had  long  existed  between  the  sexes.  A  reciprocal  influ 
ence  is  exerted  on  the  minds  and  manners  of  men  and 
•women.  As  the  virtues  of  women  decrease,  it  is  a  pretty 
sure  indication  that  the  government  is  in  a  fair  way  to 
decline  —  that  the  effeminacy  of  voluptuous  ease  is  making 
clear  the  descent  to  ruin.  Ignorance  an.l  depravity  of  the 
female  sex  are  often  the  first  indications  of  the  downfall  of 
a  nation.  In  a  corrupt  state  of  society  women  are  the 
greatest  sufferers.  The  intercourse  between  the  minds  of 
men  and  women  is  mutually  beneficial,  and  detracts  not 
from  the  strength  of  the  one,  nor  the  beauty  of  the  other. 
"NY hat  woman  is  not  conscious  of  the  information  she  gains 
from  the  society  of  intelligent  men?  of  the  spirit  and 
power  given  her  intellect  by  such  intercourse?  If  men 
are  bolder  and  stronger  than  women,  let  them  endea.vor  to 
do  riglitv  and  by  their  example  encourage  women  to  do  so. 
Where  is  the  man  that  does  not  experience  a  reforming 
influence  from  the  society  of  a  true  woman?  In  the  hours 
of  darkness  she  is  a  cynosure  leading  to  light  and  happi 
ness.  Most  men  prefer  to  see  women  happy,  because  a 
cheerful  face  is  always  most  pleasant.  A  man's  virtue  and 
refinement  of  feeling  can  be  determined,  to  a  great  extent, 


MUTUAL   INFLUENCE   OF  THE  SEXES.        337 

by  the  kind  of  Women  he  associates  with,  and  by  his 
opinion  and  treatment  of  women* 

Hitherto  the  dependence  of  woman  on  man,  in  the  mar» 
riage  relation  of  civilized  life,  has  been  too  great,  and  that 
of  man  on  woman  too  small.  There  needs  to  be  a  more 
nearly  equal  balance  for  the  good  of  both*  It  has  arisen 
from  man's  selfishness  and  woman's  depression.  Women 
are  not  angels,  but  by  nature  the  equals  and  companions  of 
men*  Women  should  be  treated  as  rational  beings,  not  as 
slaves^  nor  as  silly  children*  In  some  tribes  of  North 
American  Indians,  women  were  formerly  elected  mem 
bers  of  the  council,  and  did  mnch  to  influence  its  pro 
ceedings.  u  In  many  of  the  black  tribes  of  Central  Africa^ 
the  women  rule  ;  and  they  are  as  intelligent  as  they  are 
amiable  and  kind." 

A  fear  of  losing  the  good  opinion  of  those  men  by  whom 
they  are  surrounded,  has  prevented  thousands  of  women 
from  speaking  freely  and  honestly  their  thoughts.  The 
more  independent  of  the  other  sex  women  (whether  mar 
ried  or  single)  can  be*  the  better  for  them.  Mary  Wolstone- 
craft  says,  u  It  is  vain  to  expect  virtue  from  women  till 
they  are)  in  some  degree,  independent  of  men.  Whilst 
they  are  absolutely  dependent  on  their  husbands  they  will 
be  cunning,  mean,  and  selfish,  and  the  men  who  can  be 
gratified  by  the  fawning  fondness  of  a  spanieMike  affec 
tion,  have  not  much  delicacy."  Says  Mrs.  E.  Oakes 
Smith,*  u  Take  one  of  the  other  sex,  surround  him  with 
restrictions,  fetter  him  with  petty  claims,  hold  his  intel 
lect  in  abeyance,  because  knowledge  is  power ;  com* 
press  his  movements,  condemn  him  to  ungenial  compan 
ionship  ;  and  make  the  labor  of  his  body  and  the  action 
of  his  mind  all  subservient  to  a  routine,  and  he  is  false, 
crafty,  petty,  sullen,  degraded,  and  irresponsible*  The 
case  is  analogous*  Make  a  woman  nobly  free,  and  she 
is  the  companion  of  sages  and  philosophers,  a  helpmeet 
for  man  ;  confine  and  dwarf  her,  and  she  is  subtle  and 

*  See  "Woman  and  her  Needs*" 
22 


338        MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF    THE  SEXES. 

dangerous,  both  to  herself  and  others.  The  worst  crime  is 
the  betrayal  of  trust  J  and  now*,  as  the  world  is,  this  instinc 
tive  loyalty  must  either  die  out  of  a  woman's  soul,  as  a 
useless  manifestation  of  the  divind  element,  or  it  is  violated^ 
overwhelming  her*  with  remorse,  and  throwing  her*  whole 
being  into  discord*  She  must  use  mean  weapons  because 
the  nobler  are  denied  her ;  she  cannot  assert  her  distinc 
tive  individuality^  and  she  Resorts  to  cunning,  and  this 
cunning  takes  the  form  of  cajolery,  deception,  or  antag 
onism  in  its  many  shapes,  each  and  all  as  humiliating  to 
herself  as  it  is  unjust  to  man." 

The  wisest  and  best  mefl  are  invariably  those  Who  tf  eat 
women  with  most  respect  and  kindness.  A  man  of  good 
character,  and  extended  influence,  can  do  much  to  elevate 
and  establish,  in  society^  the  female  members  of  his  family, 
if  they  are  virtuous  and  educated. 

"  Presence  of  mind,  penetration,  fine  observation,  are 
the  sciences  of  woman  ;  ability  to  avail  themselves  of  these 
is  their  talent*"  "  The  gay  vivacity,  and  the  quickness  of 
imagination,  so  conspicuous  among  the  qualities  in  which 
the  superiority  of  women  is  acknowledged,  have  a  ten 
dency  to  lead  to  unsteadiness  of  mind  |  to  fondness  of  nov 
elty  ;  to  habits  of  frivolousness,  and  trifling  employments  ; 
to  dislike  of  sober  application  ;  to  repugnance  of  grave 
studies,  and  a  too  low  estimate  of  their  worth \  to  an  un 
reasonable  regard  for  wit,  and  shining  accomplishments ; 
to  a  thirst  for  admiration  and  applause,  to  vanity  and  affec 
tation.  They  contribute  likewise  to  endanger  the  composure 
and  mildness  of  the  temper,  and  to  render  the  disposition 
fickle  through  caprice^  and  uncertain  through  irritability." 

What  is  the  motive  that  inspires  a  number  of  gentlemen 
when  in  company  with  the  lady  they  admire  ?  Is  it  to  pass 
time?  or  is  it  a  rivalry  among  themselves  of  their  own 
merits  and  superiorities  ?  or  is  it  a  desire  to  make  a  favor 
able  impression  on  the  lady  by  comparison?  And  why, 
when  the  circle  is  broken  by  the  exit  of  one  or  more,  do  all 
soon  withdraw  ?  That  depends  on  the  nature  of  the  lady's 
attractions.  If  it  is  superiority  of  intellect  or  attainments, 


MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SEXES.         339 

are  all  men  so  conceited  that  they  think  they  cannot  learn 
anything  from  a  woman?  Such  may  be  the  opinion  of 
some  men,  but  certainly  not  that  of  all.  Is  it  personal  at 
traction?  youth,  beauty,  vivacity?  If  so,  it  is  strange  that 
more  men  do  not  linger  longer  -^  or  is  it  the  homage  of 
fashion  ?  — *  or,  to  view  the  matter  in  a  more  charitable  light, 
does  it  arise  from  consideration  of  the  lady's  feelings  — 
fearing  to,  fatigue  her  by  too  great  a  tax  of  her  entertaining 
powers? 

A  modest  reserve  should  ever  be  observed  between  not 
only  individuals  of  different  sexes,  but  of  the  same  sex.  A 
pure,  high-toned  intercourse  should  be  kept  up  between  the 
sexes,  It  is  beneficial  to  both  parties.  It  cultivates  the 
moral  nature  of  man,  and  the  intellectual  of  woman.  The 
advantage  is  reciprocal.  How  rare  to  find  a  hearty,  earnest, 
whole-souled  interchange  of  thought  and  feeling  between 
individuals  of  opposite  sexes  !  The  difference  in  their  educa 
tion,  their  pursuits,  their  tastes,  and  fcabits,  tends  to  bring 
about,  and  continue,  this  want  of  affinity,  This  difference 
is  most  marked  among  people  of  middle  station,  in,  which 
woman  is  free  from  definite  employment,  and  depends  on 
relatives  for  maintenance.  This  can  be  done  away  to,  some 
extent  by  such  women  entering  respectable  and  remunera? 
tive  occupations.  Such  women  are  educated  above  their 
station,  and  aspire  in  most  cases  to  what  is  unattainable, 

By  studying  moral  ancl  mental  science,  women  would 
better  learn  to  appreciate  themselves  and  other  people,  and 
place  a  more  correct  estimate  both  on  their  own  value  and 
that  of  others, 

Observation  teaches  us  tljat  men  an4  women  are  more 
obliging  to  members  of  the  opposite  sex,  than  to  those  of 
their  own  sex,  even  when  there  is  no  partiality  for  the 
individuals.  If  a  woman  conducts  herself  with  courtesy 
and  dignity,  she  need  not  fear  rudeness  or  insult  from  men, 
for  fifty  would  fly  to  the  rescue,  where  one  would  venture  to 
insult  her. 

I  think,  where  men  and  women  meet  most  naturally,  and 
become  most  attached,  worsen  are  morp  likely  to  share  JP> 


340        MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SEXES. 

the  public  duties  of  men.  In  Frauce  and  Great  Britain, 
the  ablest  statesmen,  and  wisest  philosophers,  have  the 
friendship  of  virtuous  and  sensible  women,  outside  of  their 
families,  and  from  them  often  derive  hints  that  quicken 
slow-footed  reason,  and  inspire  to  noble  and  generous  deeds. 
The  French  women  have  always  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  their  country, 

Mrs.  Jameson  says,  "  Might  we  not,  in  distributing  the 
work  to  be  done  in  this  world,  combine  and  use  in  a  more 
equal  proportion  the  working  faculties  of  men  and  women  ? 
Jlave  we  lost  the  true  balance  between  the  element  of  power 
and  the  element  of  love?  and  trusted  too  much  to  mere 
mechanical  means  fcr  carrying  out  high  religious  and  moral 
purposes  ?  It  seems  indisputable  that  the  mutual  influence 
of  the  sexes  —  brain  upon  brain,  life  upon  life  — •  becomes 
more  subtle,  and  spiritual,  and  complex,  more  active  and 
more  intense,  in  proportion  as  the  whole  human  race  is 
Improved  and  developed." 

Rev.  J.  II.  Fox  writes,  *'  The  weal  of  the  world  depends 
upon  the  rectitude  and  sanctity  of  the  female  character  in 
the  humble  spheres  of  life.  The  few  who  are  elevated  above 
necessity  for.  toil,  into  pomp  and  plenitude,  separate  them- 
pelves  too  assiduously  from  the  great  human  family  to  ex 
ercise  over  it  any  lasting  control/' 

Young  women  do  not  check  as  they  should  what  is  im 
moral  in  men.  Indeed,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  some  young 
women  rather  encourage  what  is  evil  in  their  associates, 
from  a  want  of  moral  courage.  For  instance,  a  young  nian 
may  laughingly  refer  to  some  acquaintance  "  being  tight,'* 
pr  "  carrying  a  brick  in  his  hat."  A  young  lady  friend 
might  perhaps  do  good  to  that  young  man,  by  expressing, 
in  free,  unqualified  measure,  her  disapproval  of  intemper 
ance.  But  §he  thinks  her  friend  irmy  sometimes  patronise 
freely  the  wine  cup,  and  she  fears  to  do  so,  lest  she  lose  his 
admiration,  or  attention.  And  so  in  regard  to  gambling, 
and  other  such  sins.  A  woman  will  not  lose  worthy  as 
sociates  by  shunning  those  who  are  immoral.  Were  all  tho 
young  women  of  the  land  to  make,  and  execute,  the  resolu 


MUTUAL   INFLUENCE   OF  THE  SEXES.         341 

tion  to  decline  the  attentions  of  any  young  man  who  uses 
ardent  spirits,  or  is  known  to  be  guilty  of  any  other  im* 
morality,  how  long  do  you  think  it  would  be  before  the 
majority  of  young  men  'would  prove  themselves  in  every 
way  worthy  of  respect?  J^et  young  women  require  that 
high-toned  morality  from  young  men,  that  young  men 
require  from  them,  and  I  can  assure  you;  a  mighty  an4 
glorious  revolution  would  dawn. 

A  man  is  in  no  way  more  improved  than  by  the  society  of 
virtuous  au4  cultivate^  women,  It  ennobles  a  man,  in? 
creases  his  respect  for  the  sex,  and  renders  him  more  just 
and  liberal  in  his  views.  JsTew  ideas  are  suggested,  plans 
of  benevolence  are  brought  forward,  and  an  interest  elicited, 
and  counsel  obtained,  The  influence  will  cause  men  to 
render  women  their  dues,  and  to  elevate  instead  of  depress* 
ing  them.  It  will  rejoice  in  a  wide  and  wliole-soule4  freedom 
of  judgment,  speech,  and  action,  $ien  and  wpmen  are  so 
intimately  associated,  that  what  elevates  one  must  elevate 
the  other.  It  cannot  be  otherwise.  One  sex  cannot  be 
independent  of  the  other.  It  was  never  so  intended.  <'  We 
are  not  sufficiently  sensible  pf  the  fact  that  sometimes  a 
simple  word  can  save  a  man,  and  raise  him  up,  and  teach 
him  to  respect  himself,  aud  give  him  an  abiding  strength, 
which  until  then  he  had  not/' 

Love  and  duty  are  the  strong,  impelling  forces  of  woman. 
Power  and  avarice  are  tlje  mainsprings  of  action  with  men. 
In  life  a  continual  warfare  is  waged  between  spiritual 
and  animal  force.  When  the  former  predominates,  there 
will  be  virtue  ancj.  wisdom  ;  when  the  latter,  ignorance  and 
depravity, 

The  erroneous  idea  is  common  that  a  woman  should  not 
concern  herself  witl>  what  belongs  to  the  business  and 
political  views  of  men,  The  war  that  has  been  going  on.  in. 
the  United  States  was  calculated  to  create  a  sympathy,  and 
intelligence,  connected  with  political  matters,  an(J  engender 
a  spirit  of  patriotism,  that  has  had,  and  will  continue  to 
have,  a  beneficial  effect  on  women,  and  society.  The  war 
came  to  their  homes  and  hearts,  The  same  dangers  threat- 


542        MUTUAL  INFLUENCE  OF  THE 

ened  all,  and  the  same  hopes  of  success  animated  them. 
Political  corruption  and  intrigue  will  hereafter  be  more 
readily  exposed,  arid  we  hope  gradually  overcome.  It  may 
lead  women  to  encourage  men  in  being  honest  and  faithful 
in  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  particularly  those  duties 
that  pertain  to  their  country's  welfare.  It  will  lead  women 
to  enter  more  into  the  every-day  lives  of  men,  to  be  less 
governed  by  emotion,  more  by  reason.  Women  will  in 
vestigate  more  thoroughly,  and  feel  more  interest  iq,  the 
laws  and  institutions  of  their  country.  And  we  doubt  not 
but  it  will  lead  to  the  making,  and  amending,  of  Jaws  that 
will  have  more  at  heart  the  welfare  of  woman.  If  con 
versation  was  more  elevating  in  general  society,  women 
would  make  more  effort  to  be  posted  on  such  subjects  as 
Would  inform,  as  well  as  entertain, 


4MEJIJCAN  CHARACTERISTICS, 


AMERICAN   CHARACTERISTICS, 

THE  active,  restless  spirit  of  Americans  is  proverbial, 
Their  temperaments,  their  fast  way  of  living  and 
transacting  business,  an4  the  poor  health  induced  thereby, 
will  mostly  Account  for  it,  Their  excitability,  and  their 
proneness  to  excess,  are  to  be  lamented,  and  the  effects  are 
being  seen  iij  the  rapid  increase  of  lunatic  asylums. 

The  Americans  are  too  sensitive  in  being  tolcl  of  their 
Defects.  It  seems  to  be  an  individual  and  national  failure, 
It  reminds  one  of  spoiled  children. 

The  Americans  are  prone  to  hero-worship,  as  is  evinced 
by  the  erection  of  costly  monuments.  As  a  trading  people 
the  Americans  have  become  famous,  and  the  American  flag 
is  known  in  all  waters. 

The  ideas  of  liberty,  with  foreigners  in  our  country,  arc 
inconsistent  and  false  —  their  ideas  of  justice  extremely 
vague  and  undefined.  The  freedom  that  exists  in  our  coun 
try  increases  the  responsibility  of  individuals,  Jt  calls  per 
emptorily  for  the  acquisition  of  valuable  knowledge.  But 
more  particularly  does  it  demand  that  deep-rooted  principles 
of  virtue  be  implanted  in  youth  — -  such  virtue  as  will  lead 
them  not  only  to  consult  their  own  welfare,  but  observe  strict 
justice  in  their  intercourse  with  others.  Their  government 
lies  almost  entirely  in  self.  Therefore  let  them  be  trained 
to  govern  themselves  with  firm  and  positive  reins.  Their 
own  happiness  and  that  of  others  will  depend  on  it, 

The  independence  of  American,  character  is  favorable  to 
bring  about  reforms  that  take  place  more  slowly  in  older 
countries,  and  require  the  wealth  and  rank  of  those  countries 
to  indorse. 

The  pride  and  vanity  of  Americans  have  become  proverb* 


344  AMERICAN  CHARACTERISTICS, 

ial  with  foreigners.  It  has  brought  about  an  extravagance 
that  at  times  has  threatened  to  overturn  our  government. 
It  has  introduced  a  fondness  for  display  that  is  not  un- 
frequently  gratified  at  the  expense  of  all  that  is  good  and 
honorable,  I  would  refer  the  reader  to  Mrs.  Graves's 
"  Woman  in  America,"  pp.  103-105.  Wealthy  Americans 
have  indulged  in  luxury  to  a  fearful  extent,  Their  houses 
are  furnished  with  velvet  cushions,  tapestry  carpets,  and 
French  mirrors,  and  they  sink  into  effeminacy,  trying  to  fol- 
Jow  in  the  footsteps  of  the  old,  aristocratic  nations  of  Europe. 
The  vices  of  the  European  nations  are  likely  to  be  introduced 
with  their  refinement.  Mr.  Sedgwick  says,  in  his  u  Public 
and  Private  Economy,"  '*  J\Xuclj  ftqery  is  made  in  Paris, 
and  in  other  parts  of  France,  principally  for  our  market,  in 
the  same  way  as  we  buy  and  make  beads,  and  other  triu» 
kets,  to  send  to  savage  nations,"  fashionable  ladies  in  tha 
United  States  pride  themselves  on  their  excessive  delicacy, 
But  little  pride  is  attached  to  learning  by  those  who  possess 
it.  Yet  it  is  of  all  prides  the  njost  excusable,  The  Ameri 
can  women  of  the  middle  classes  are  charged  with  being  pot 
only  proud,  but  frivolous.  We  do  not  know  what  compari 
son  they  bear  to  those  of  other  countries  ;  but  where  the 
qualities  exist,  they  generally  arise  from  the  want  of  proper 
home*training,  and  the  fast  and  extravagant  way  of  living 
common  in  the  United  States, 

The  fashion  of  giving  frequent  and  costly  entertainments, 
by  those  not  able  to  afford  it,  is  sometimes  a  source  of  em 
barrassment,  We  think,  if  the  German  plan  of  reunions 
could  be  adopted  in  our  country,  it  would  tend  to  advance 
the  intellectual,  and  retard  the  growth  of  animal,  appetites. 

Dress  was  given  to  Adam  and  Eve  in  their  shame  and 
guilt.  It  betokened  the  displeasure  of  the  Almighty.  Yet 
now  it  is  u  source  of  pride  to  many,  and  occupies  most  of 
their  thoughts  and  time,  Jf  the  means  of  parents  are 
ample,  or  even  moderate,  they  should  not  restrict  their 
children  in  dress  so  as  to  make  them  appear  odd,  or  out  of 
place  in  any  assembly.  A  feeling  of  meanness  and  in 
feriority  follows  such  restriction,  and  has  bad  effects. 


4MERICAN  CHARACTERISTIC^,  313 

On  the  ptber  hand,  we  would  not  encourage  an  extravagant^ 
wasteful,  or  silly  expenditure  of  time,  or  money,  on  dress. 
But  good  materials  made  up  in  the  prevailing  style,  so  as 
pot  to  render  the  individual  conspicuous  in  any  way,  are 
most  desi**ible. 

Few  Americans  are  satisfied  with  what  they  acquire. 
The  more  they  accumulate,  the  more  they  toil.  As  a  gen 
eral  thing  they  devote  too  much  time  to  the  acquisition  of 
wealth.  The  consequence  is,  men  and  wpmen  are  tqo,  mu,ch 
estimated  by  pecuniary  circumstances,  not  enough  by  in 
trinsic  worth.  I  fear  we  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  our 
ancestors,  the.  English,  in  permitting  riches  to  exert  so 
great  an  influence,  and  conmmnd  such  an  ascendency. 
Much  pride  of  birth  and  wealth  is  felt  in  American  society, 
l)y  those  who  think  they  have  a  claim  to  precedence  so 
founded.  Dissipation  and  its  enervating  effects  generally 
attend  wealth.  The  minds  and  hearts  of  men  are  so  en 
grossed  in  the  great  struggle  for  honor  and  wealth,  that 
they  are  in  danger  of  neglecting  the  moral  and  mental, 
social  and  religious,  training  of  their  children. 

The  Americans  cannot  tolerate  a  want  of  chastity  in 
women.  It  is  well.  But  why  should  not  as  severe  and 
lasting  a  condemnation  rest  on  men  that  lack  purity  ?  Why 
may  the  seducer  be  received  in  society  when  the  seduced 
is  forever  branded  with  infamy?  The  North  American 
Indians  are  more  just.  A  guilty  man  is  abhorred  by  them, 
wjiile  a  woman  is  more  lightly  judged.  We  think  justice 
would  mete  out  a  like  penalty  when  both  are  equally  criminal. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  character  in  most  society  of 
civilized  countries  —  positive  and  negative.  The  positive 
are  those  of  strong,  determined  will,  with  energy,  enterprise, 
fearlessness,  and  courage.  The  negative  are  those  pos 
sessing  patience,  meekness,  fortitude,  submissiyeness,  and 
aU  the  tame  qualities  that  belong  to  a  passive  mind.  The 
negative  usually  possess  a  great  deal  of  cunning  and  servili 
ty,  which  they  use  to  attain  their  ends.  There  is  a  vast 
number  of  people  that  feel,  and  $  comparatively  small  num- 
j)er  that  think. 


340  LABOR    OF  AMERICAN   WOMEN, 


OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN, 

THE  physical  energy  exerted  by  women  in  other  coun 
tries  may  not  be  exercised  to  the  same  extent  by 
American  women,  but  we  incliqe  to  think  it  is  by  wives  in 
moderate  or  contracted  circumstances.  American  women, 
en  masse,  may  not  perform  as  much  drudgery  as  the  same 
pumber  of  women  in  foreign  countries ;  but  we  think  they 
probably  labor  just  as  hard  in  proportion  to  their  strength 
and  health,  American  women  that  superintend  their  house- 
holds  generally  have  considerable  care  ;  particularly  have 
those  bad  who  depended  qpon  slq,ve  labor.  We  thinly  the 
poor  health,  the  constant  pressure  of  home  duties,  and  the 
want  of  agreeable  recreation,  shortens  the  life  of  many  a 
married  womaq.  The  wife  and  mother  who  faithfully 
attends  to  her  house  duties,  who  conscientiously  trains  her 
children  in  the  ways  of  virtue  and  industry,  do.es  as  much 
as  her  husband  to,  support  her  family.  Her  work  is  indis 
pensable  and  important. 

Street  sweeping,  and,  indeed,  all  sqch  laborious  employ* 
ments,  when  performed  in  this  country  by  women,  is  mostly 
done  by  foreigners  —  not  by  American  women.  The  for- 
eiga  population  in  New  York  city  is  very  large. 

Some  account  fur  tjie  Inefficiency  charged  against  work 
women  in  American  cities,  by  the  reckless  idea  of  freedom 
that  prevails,  But  we  th,inlt  it  arises  from  not  being  thor 
oughly  trained  when  girls,  and  many  not  expecting  to  make 
it  a  life-long  business.  The  tendency  to  engage  in  regular 
employments  will  increase  as  our  country  beconies  more 
thickly  populated,  In  England,  for  instance,  there  is  a 
greater  diversity  of  employments,  and  the  masses  of  the 
people  are  more  generally  rtvise4  with  a  view  to  pursuing 
^Qn^e  occupation  steadily?  We  strongly  advocate  the  acqui- 


LABOR   OF  AMERICAN  WOMEN.  347 

sition  of  some  practical  business  pursuit  by  every  woman. 
In  doing  so  it  is  far,  very  far,  from  being  our  wish  to 
encourage  the  making  of  woman  a  piece  of  soulless  ma 
chinery.  That  would  be  bringing  her  back  to  her  past  con* 
dition,  when  the  loom  and  the  knitting-needle  occupied 
most  of  her  working  hours.  No,  let  mindless  machinery 
perform  this  labor,  guided,  where  women  see  proper,  by 
their  own  careful  hands.  I  rejoice  that  in  the  middle  and 
upper  walks  of  life  machinery  is  doing  the  labor  formerly 
executed  by  the  fingers  of  woman.  It  will  give  her  more 
time  for  self-culture.  A  nobler  purpose,  a  higher  aim,  a 
more  exalted  destiny,  are  placed  before  her,  I  hear  the  fam- 
ishiug  call  to  her  for  food,  the  suffering  for  aid,  the  deso« 
late  for  comfort.  I  hear  the  pleadings  of  the  orphan,  and 
the  moans  of  the  dying.  Woman  turns  from  her  labors  to 
comfort  and  console*  She  leaves  her  other  duties  to  admin 
ister  to  the  needy.  She  is  awakening  to  a  sense  of  her 
hio-h  mission.  A  blending  of  labor  and  thought  is  needed 
—  all  labor  will  not  answer -^neither  will  all  thought  in 
this  business  age. 

The  labor  of  the  two  sexes  is,  and  to  some  extent  should 
be,  different.  Woman's  labor  is  more  perishable  in  its 
nature  than  man's^  Those  stores,  factories,  workshops, 
and  saloons,  where  women  are  employed  are  more  quiet 
and  orderly  than  where  men  of  only  the  same  experience 
are  employed,  In  all  labor,  save  that  of  a  literary  kind, 
the  most  mechanical  part,  the  mere  drudgery,  is  given  to 
women* 

A  false  pride  has  existed,  and  does  exist  to  some  extent, 
among  the  higher  and  middle  classes  of  American  women 
in  regard  to  labor.  To  this  may  be  added  a  fondness  for 
dress.  The  two  combined  have  no  doubt  proved  the  down 
fall  of  a  number, 

Some  travelers  have  charged  the  young  women  of  this 
country  with  idleness.  Some  of  them  are  idle,  but,  we  are 
inclined  to  think,  not  more  so  than  those  of  other  coun 
tries.  Until  the  war  commenced,  a  larger  number  of  women 
and  girls  were  maintained  by  their  parents  or  relatives  than 


348  LABOR  of  AFRICAN 

in  England^  but  the  majority  of  those  so  maintained  wei*e 
hot  idle.  The  proportion,  too,  of  single  women  was  not  so 
great.  Added  to  this,  more  money  was  afloat,  and  more 
easily  got  by  those  women  that  did  work.  The  gulf  be» 
tween  wealth  and  poverty  was  not  so  wide.  But  now  that 
the  war  has  ceased^  the  public  debt  is  enlarged^  and  taxes 
are  increased,  the  necessaries  of  life  are  higher,  unskilled 
labor  finds  a  market  more  difficult  to  secure,  business  in  the 
South  remains  confused^  and  thousands  of  women  and  girls 
suffer  in  every  way. 

The  uncertainty  and  inconstancy  of  obtaining  work  dif 
fer  but  little  in  our  cities.  The  supply  of  labor  is  gen* 
erally  much  greater  than  the  demand,  while  in  many  parts 
of  the  country  thefe  is  really  a  call  for  labor  in  the  domes* 
tic  branches.  The  question  arises,  Why  do  not  women  go 
from  the  city  to  the  country  to  seek  labor?  The  majority 
have  not  the  means-,  and  those  that  have^  fear  they  may 
expend  all  in  getting  where  work  is  offered,  and  there  be 
uncomfortably  situated  or  overworked,  and  not  have  the 
means  to  return,  while  many  are  too  proud  to  engage  in 
domestic  service,  or  feel  unwilling  to  give  up  the  varieties 
and  excitements  of  a  city  life. 

Women  coming  to  this  country  from  Europe  to  seek 
work,  are  liable  to  be  shamefully  treated  in  New  Yorkj  if 
they  are  without  friends.  It  is  said  that  men  go  to  ships> 
professing  to  be  runners  from  boarding-houses,  and  take 
the  unprotected  women  landing,  up  to  houses  which  they 
leave  less  pure  than  when  they  enter.  Sometimes  these 
men  pass  themselves  off  to  the  captain  as  uncles^  or  cous 
ins,  if  the  women  have  so  forgotten,  by  long  absence, 
their  relatives,  as  not  to  recognize  them,  and  not  unfre- 
queutly  the  captain  has  to  stand  guard  when  his  vessel 
lands,  to  protect  these  homeless  strangers.  If  the  captain 
is  a  bad  man,  he  will  sometimes  join  in  the  unprincipled 
schemes  of  others.  This  infamous  imposition  is  being 
done  away  to  some  extent  by  the  establishment  of  emigrant 
agencies. 


AMERICAN   WIVES.  349 


AMERICAN   WIVES. 

A  MERICAN  women  are  considered  more  faithful  and 
XJL  devoted  wives  than  those  of  any  other  nation.  We 
met  with  a  newspaper  article  some  time  ago  that  so  well 
defines  the  characteristics  of  females  among  different  na 
tions  that  we  cannot  forbear  transcribing  it. 

"  The  Englishwoman  is  respectful  and  proud ;  the 
Frenchwoman  is  gay  and  agreeable  ;  the  Italian  is  passion 
ate  ;  the  American  is  sincere  and  affectionate.  With  an 
P^nglishwoman  love  is  principle  ;  with  a  Frenchwoman  it  is 
a  caprice  ;  with  an  Italian  it  is  a  passion  ;  with  an  American 
it  is  a  sentiment.  A  man  is  married  to  an  Englishwoman  ; 
is  united  to  a  French  ;  cohabits  with  an  Italian  ;  and  is 
wedded  to  an  American.  An  Englishwoman  is  anxious  to 
secure  a  lord  ;  a  Frenchwoman  a  companion  ;  an  Italian  a 
lover ;  an  American  a  husband.  An  Englishman  respects 
his  lady ;  the  Frenchman  esteems  his  companion  ;  the 
Italian  adores  his  mistress  ;  the  American  loves  his  wife. 
The  Englishman  at  night  returns  to  his  house  ;  while  the 
Frenchman  goes  to  his  establishment,  the  Italian  to  his 
retreat,  the  American  to  his  home.  When  the  Englishman 
is  sick,  his  lady  visits  him  ;  when  a  Frenchman  is  sick,  his 
companion  pities  him  ;  when  an  Italian  is  sick,  his  mis 
tress  sighs  over  him  ;  when  an  American  is  sick,  his  wife 
nurses  him.  The  Englishwoman  instructs  her  offspring  ; 
the  Frenchwoman  teaches  her  progeny  ;  an  Italian  rears 
her  young  ;  while  an  American  educates  her  child." 

The  intelligent,  warm-hearted,  sensible  wife  can  make  a 
little  heaven  of  home,  on  condition  that  she  has  a  good 
man  for  a  husband,  that  assists  in  rendering  home  pleas 
ant.  The  home  of  the  virtuous  and  good  is  dear  to  all.  If 


350  AMERICAN  WIVES. 

it  contains  a  well-regulated  family,  bound  in  heart  and 
interest  by  mutual  esteem,  confidence,  and  affection,  it 
proves  indeed  a  shelter  from  the  pitiless  storms  of  life,  a 
covert  from  its  dark  and  stormy  tempests. 

It  is  a  great  disadvantage  for  a  woman  to  be  closely 
confined  at  home  with  her  family,  year  after  year.  Her 
range  of  thought  becomes  limited.  Her  mind  wants  nutri 
ment,  and  it  is  the  place  of  the  husband  to  furnish  it.  He 
has  time  for  reading  and  opportunities  of  mixing  with 
those  who  talk  over  the  latest  intelligence.  Domestic  obli 
gations  rest  as  much  on  the  husband  as  on  the  wife. 
When  we  consider  the  neglect  and  indifference  of  many 
husbands,  their  absorption  in  self,  and  sinful  pleasures,  we 
only  wonder  and  feel  grateful  that  more  wives  are  not 
insane',  or  tempted  to  go  astray. 

An  important  position  is  accorded  woman  in  the  home 
department.  Obedience  from  servants,  and  a  kind  yet 
decided  manner  with  the  mistress,  will  generally  make  the 
lower  departments  of  household  machinery  move  smoothly. 
But  fretting  and  scolding  make  the  wheels  of  the  machinery 
work  very  roughly.  The  long,  wearing  toil  of  servants 
might  in  some  cases  be  diminished  by  consideration  and 
management  on  the  part  of  the  mistress.  Domestics  should 
be  treated  with  kindness.  Much  of  the  comfort  of  a  family 
depends  on  them.  They  labor  hard.  If  industrious  and 
well  behaved,  they  should  at  least  receive  our  kind  words 
and  sympathy.  They  should  be  taught  to  read,  and  fur 
nished  with  good  books  to  enjoy  in  their  leisure  hours. 
Do  not  accuse,  or  suspect,  those  in  your  employ  of  having 
done  wrong.  A  friend  related  to  me  a  circumstance  that 
came  to  her  knowledge,  which  illustrates,  in  one  instance, 
the  evil  consequences.  An  Irish  girl,  in  one  of  our  western 
cities,  was  accused,  by  a  lady  for  whom  she  sewed,  of 
taking  a  breastpin,  and  immediately  dismissed.  The  ac 
cuser  was  visiting  not  long  after  at  the  house  of  a  friend, 
and  was  invited  into  the  bed-chamber  to  see  a  dress  she 
was  having  made.  The  maker  wa.s  the  Irish  girl  she  had 
dismissed.  As  Mrs.  A.  left  the  house,  she  told  Mrs.  C. 


AMERICAN  WIVES.  351 

that  her  seamstress  was  dishonest  —  that  she  had  stolen 
from  her  a  breastpin.  Mrs.  C.  went  up  and  told  the  seam 
stress  she  did  not  wish  her  services  any  longer,  and  paid 
her  what  was  due.  The  girl  inquired  the  cause.  Mrs.  C. 
related  what  Mrs.  A.  had  said.  She  protested  her  innocence, 
but  all  in  vain.  The  seamstress,  feeling  her  reputation 
was  blasted  —  the  all  upon  which  her  prospects  in  life  de 
pended,  went  to  her  boarding-house,  took  poison,  and  was 
found  dead  in  her  bed  the  next  morning.  Subsequent  events, 
a  few  months  after,  led  to  the  detection  of  the  real  thief, 
in  the  person  of  a  servant  girl,  employed  at  that  time  in 
the  house.  Be  careful  of  the  reputation  of  others,  particu 
larly  that  of  dependent  females. 


352  CHANGES   OF  FORTUNE. 


CHANGES   OF   FORTUNE. 

die  and  leave  children  without  property  and  business 
qualifications,  is  like  setting  them  adrift  in  a  rudder 
less  boat,  on  a  strange  ocean.  But  in  the  possession  of  a 
pursuit  it  is  different.  It  will  prove  a  real  Aladdin's  lamp 
—  a  talisman  that  will  ever  make  them  independent. 

Those  that  have  been  tenderly  and  delicately  cherished, 
are  more  frequently  thrown  upon  their  own  resources  for  a 
livelihood,  in  new,  than  in  some  of  the  older  countries,  where 
property  is  entailed.  So  it  is  desirable  that  the  people  of 
the  United  States  be  prepared  for  emergencies.  It  is  not 
an  unusual  sight  to  witness  the  daughter  of  affluence  to-day, 
penniless  to-morrow.  And  between  the  extremes  of  for 
tune  we  see  almost  every  day  some  fluctuation.  A  lady 
should,  therefore,  be  educated  to  adorn  the  highest  ranks 
of  society,  or,  if  necessary,  earn  a  livelihood  by  her  acquire 
ments.  Prepared  for  both  extremes,  she  will  be  enabled  to 
pass  through* the  world  comfortably  and  creditably. 

Sudden  revolutions  in  financial  affairs  come  not  with  such 
serious  import  to  our  male,  as  to  our  female  population. 
Men  generally  find  no  difficulty  in  turning  their  talents  and 
acquirements  to  account.  The  wheel  of  fortune  may  place 
a  man  at  a  different  point  to-morrow  from  the  one  he  occu 
pies  to-day.  But  when  women  are  cast  helpless  and  alone 
upon  the  world,  their  timidity,  anxiety,  feeble  constitutions, 
and  the  limited  number  of  occupations  that  offer  employ 
ment,  are  likely  to  render  them  very  helpless. 

The  changed  circumstances  occasioned  by  the  late  war, 
are  opening  to  the  eyes  of  both  men  and  women,  the  neces 
sity  for  women  to  be  prepared  to  take  care  of  themselves, 
in  the  most  trying  and  straitened  circumstances.  No  one 


CHANGES   OF  FORTUNE.  353 

«*an  tell  what  the  future  will  bring  forth.  Men  will  now 
have  more  occasion  to  think  what  is  for  the  good  of  their 
families,  and  more  time  to  do  so,  if  the  females  of  those 
families,  in  the  middle  ranks  of  life,  help  bear  the  burden 
of  the  day,  and  assist  in  the  labors  and  cares  of  life.  Such 
men  will  be  less  oppressed  by  labor,  and  have  more  cause 
and  inclination  for  seeking  the  good  and  happiness  of  those 
with  whom  they  are  connected.  Uneducated  men  in  the 
lower  walks  of  life,  may  be  changed  in  their  views  also. 
Instead  of  making  beasts  of  burden  of  their  wives  and 
daughters,  they  will  endeavor  to  lighten  their  labors,  and 
the  money  they  have  been  accustomed  to  spend  in  their 
own  self-indulgence,  will  be  appropriated  to  the  good  and 
comfort  of  their  families. 
23 


354  VALUE   OF  EMPLOYMENT. 


VALUE   OF   EMPLOYMENT. 

BY  want  of  occupation,  idleness  is  engendered,  discon 
tent  produced,  envy  and  jealousy  aroused,  and  the 
individual  either  becomes  listless  and  idle,  or  fault-finding 
and  morose.  It  causes  depression  of  spirits,  and  brings 
about  a  moral  inertness  that  prepares  the  mind  for  vain  or 
wicked  thoughts.  Without  employment  both  mind  and  body 
become  enervated.  It  is  essential  to  the  preservation  of 
health,  and  with  health  comes  moral  and  physical  beauty. 

Employment  is  the  best  promoter  of  happiness  and  mo 
rality.  It  is  the  greatest  preventive  of  evil,  the  surest 
restorer  of  the  wicked  to  morality.  We  are  so  constituted 
that  if  not  engaged  in  something  good,  we  shall  be  in  some 
thing  bad.  Employment  drives  away  discontent.  By  it 
the  sorrow  that  would  become  a  giant,  to  crush  and  destroy, 
is  banished.  The  despair  that  would  prey  upon  the  heart 
gives  way  to  a  cheerful  hope.  People,  we  all  know,  are 
more  lively  when  actively  employed.  They  have  not  time 
for  hard  feelings,  and  bitter  thoughts,  or  morbid  sensitive 
ness,  to  corrode  the  heart.  It  creates  a  feeling  of  friendli 
ness  that  engenders  confidence,  and  obtains  an  influence. 
It  also  gives  force  to  character.  Occupation  is  the  great 
pillar  of  support.  It  tends  to  develop  the  threefold  nature 
of  man  —  to  make  him  stronger,  wiser,  and  better. 

An  individual  had  better  work  even  for  low  wages,  than 
be  idle,  unless  engaged  in  some  plan  for  the  general  increase 
of  wages,  in  his  or  her  trade.  What  is  lost  in  money  will 
be  gained  in  character. 

Work,  with  an  anxious,  overtasked  brain,  may  destroy 
that  brain.  It  is  best  to  be  as  free  as  possible  from  care 
when  at  work. 


VALUE  OF  EMPLOYMENT.  35 "> 

Without  labor,  nature  would  be  comparatively  unproduc 
live,  and  her  productions  would  be  almost  useless. 

God  did  not  intend  that  man  or  woman  should  live  for 
self  alone.  All  of  us  are  beings  dependent  in  some  way 
If  we  have  means  to  live  without  remunerative  work,  WQ 
should  employ  ourselves  to  give  to  those  physically,  or  men 
tally,  incapacitated  for  work. 

Action  is  necessary  to  develop  the  faculties  of  a  human 
being.  Diet  for  the  mind  must  be  of  a  kind  to  suit  its 
strength  and  growth.  If  the  mind  has  been  fed  on  light  or 
unwholesome  food,  it  will  be  in  a  faint  and  sickly  condition  ; 
if  on  strong,  substantial  aliment,  it,  of  course,  will  be  strong 
and  healthy.  And  such  a  mind  will  desire  and  seek  read 
ing  of  a  solid  and  profitable  kind.  Jotting  down  notes, 
opinions,  suggestions,  and  incidents,  will  impress  what  one 
reads  and  hears  on  the  memory,  and  render  the  mind  more 
fertile  and  suggestive. 

u  Some  positions,"  says  Legouve,  "  attract  by  their  ease  ; 
but  it  is  work  that  purifies  and  fills  existence.  God  permits 
hard  trials  ;  but  he  has  appointed  labor,  and  we  forget  them 
all.  A  serious  comforter,  it  gives  always  more  than  it 
promises,  and  dries  the  bitterest  tears.  A  pleasure  une- 
qualed  in  itself,  it  is  the  salt  of  all  other  pleasures." 


356  ALL   MADE    TO    WORK. 


ALL   MADE  TO   WORK. 

THE  birds  warble  their  sweet  notes,  the  flowers  smile  in 
their  beauty,  the  stars  twinkle  merrily,  the  waves  chase 
each  other  playfully,  the  fountains  cast  their  jets  sportively 
—  all,  all  tell  of  activity,  save  here  and  there  a  human  idler, 
more  gifted,  more  favored  than  all — possessing  the  faculty 
of  speech,  intellect,  heart,  and  hands.  What  do  you  suppose 
the  angels  think  when  they  look  down  upon  an  idle,  useless 
mortal  ?  And  what  do  you  suppose  the  great  arid  good  God 
thinks?  Does  he  view  with  satisfaction  a  useless  creation 
of  his  hands  ?  Of  all  pitiable  objects  a  know-nothing,  do-noth 
ing  kiud  of  man  or  woman  is  the  most  so.  Uneducated  peo 
ple,  without  a  trade,  or  a  profession,  know  nothing  of  the 
value  of  time.  And  here  I  would  suggest  not  merely  to 
supply  the  poor  with  contributions,  —  many  of  them  will  be 
come  idle  and  make  no  exertion  of  their  own,  —  but  furnish 
them  with  employment,  and  pay  them  well  for  it. 

Instead  of  the  activity  of  the  great  mass  of  people  being 
of  an  intellectual  kind,  sin  has  made  it  to  consist  in  activity 
of  body,  with  the  object  mainly  in  view,  of  contributing  to 
the  necessities  of  the  physical  nature. 

No  one  is  wholly  exempt  from  labor,  or  entirely  free  from 
duty.  AVho  can  suppose  that  a  human  being  was  created 
for  no  purpose  but  to  seek  his  or  her  own  comfort,  or  amuse 
ment.  Surely  such  a  one  is  not  fulfilling  the  end  for  which 
he,  or  she,  was  made.  Without  labor  we  should  gradually 
fall  back  into  the  condition  of  savages. 

Indolence  is  the  bane  of  happiness  and  usefulness,  and 
always  brings  a  curse.  Nothing  is  more  contagious  than 
indolence.  The  languid  condition  of  mind  and  body  pro 
duced  by  years  of  idleness  unfits  an  individual  for  the  exertion 


ALL  MADE  TO    WORK.  357 

necessary  to  earn  a  comfortable  livelihood.  It  is  natural  to 
be  occupied  in  some  way,  but  I  think  few  are  by  nature 
fond  of  work.  A  fondness  for  close  and  constant  application 
is,  usually,  the  result  of  cultivation. 

It  would  be  well  if  the  thoughts  and  efforts  of  women  did 
not  so  often  center  in  the  one  condition  of  matrimony  ;  if 
parents  and  teachers  would  consider  that  some  of  the  girls  in 
their  charge  will  certainly  not  marry,  and  therefore  should 
fit  all,  by  the  bestowment  of  an  honorable  employment,  to 
work  their  own  way  through  the  world.  Who  of  a  given 
number  of  girls  will  remain  single  we  do  not  know.  There 
fore  let  all  be  prepared  by  each  one  having  a  vocation  to 
rely  upon.  They  will  so  better  understand  their  positions, 
and  their  capacities. 

A  woman  must,  and  does,  exert  an  influence,  whether  she 
will  or  not.  Woman's  great  influence  demands  of  her  a 
holy  activity.  Most  wives  do  housework  and  sewing— ^ 
those  engaged  in  trading,  and  the  manufacturing  and  me- 
chanical  employments,  perform  other  labor  ;  those  in  profes* 
sions  work  mentally,  and  to  some  extent  manually  —  so 
these  all  work,  but  there  are  thousands  that  do  nothing 
useful. 

Some  women  do  not  work  because  it  is  not  fashionable  to 
do  so  ;  some  because  they  are  not  qualified  by  education 
and  training ;  and  some  from  the  want  of  health.  Every 
body  has  to  work,  or  somebody  else  must  do  their  work. 
If  we  believe  that  God  does  all  things  right,  we  must  decide 
that  there  are  not  more  women  on  earth  than  there  should 
be,  and  exactly  enough  work  for  their  varied  strength  and 
different  abilities.  That  each  one  cannot  find  her  own  work 
in  the  vineyard,  and  the  proper  place  to  perform  it,  ought 
not  to  be  charged  to  the  Owner  of  the  vineyard. 

Every  individual  has  his  or  her  part  to  perform  in  the 
machinery  of  nature-^ in  the  great  drama  of  life,  "He 
alone,"  says  Seneca,  "  can  be  truly  said  to  live  who  devotes 
himself  to  some  purpose  of  usefulness  and  activity,"  Cicero 
says,  "  It  is  action  only  that  gives  a  true  value  and  common* 


358  ALL  MADE   TO    WORK. 

dation  to  virtue."  Remember  that  one  of  the  three  things 
that  Cato  repented,  was,  to  have  spent  a  day  inactive. 

Idleness  is  the  mother  of  mischief.  It  creates  physical, 
moral,  and  mental  disease.  The  inefficiency  and  imbecility 
it  produces  are  not  confined  to  the  idle  merely,  but  transmitted 
to  offspring. 

A  sense  of  mingled  pity  and  contempt  is  felt  for  a  man 
that  lives  in  idle  repose.  It  is  not  so  with  woman  in  the 
higher  and  middle  classes  of  society,  but  it  would  be  better 
if  it  were.  Though  man  was  doomed  to  hard  labor  as  a 
punishment,  yet  in  it  lies  his  greatest  good.  In  all  labor 
there  is  profit.  Prov.  xiv.  23.  In  some  countries,  all  classes 
and  conditions  of  men  are  expected  to  know  how  to  labor. 

Professional  men  and  women  should  be  paid  better  than 
industrial  or  domestic  workers,  because  of  the  long  time, 
and  great  expense,  attending  a  preparation,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  superior  mental  ability  required.  But  as  matters  now 
stand,  some  people  work  sixteen  hours  and  are  paid  for  eight, 
and  some  work  eight  and  are  paid  for  sixteen,  while  others 
experience  all  the  intermediate  gradations  of  work  and  pay. 


RECREATION.  359 


RECREATION. 

"  A  HARMLESS,  cheerful  laughter,"  says  Miss  Bremer, 
XJ^  "  is  certainly  the  most  effectual  means  of  reconciling 
one  to  life  and  mankind."  Some  one  has  said,  "  The  noisy 
mountain  brook  puts  its  broad  shoulder  to  the  wheel  of  a 
mill,  and  shows  that  it  can  labor  as  well  as  laugh." 

We  would  not  advocate  the  doctrine  of  unceasiag  labor  for 
any,  for  recreation  is  as  necessary  as  labor  itself.  The  mind 
must  not  be  cramped  by  oppression,  the  body  worn  out  by 
fatigue.  Occupation  furnishes  us  with  a  capability  of  appre 
ciating  rest,  of  enjoying  recreation.  We  believe  in  a  medium 
—  neither  all  work,  nor  all  play.  Excessive  fatigue  calls 
for  relaxation,  and  should  receive  it.  It  is  better  for  those 
who  can,  to  work  but  six  days  and  rest  the  seventh,  as  one, 
on  an  average,  gets  the  same  pay  ;  because  by  constant  work 
one  has  not  the  strength  to  accomplish  more,  and  so  the  em 
ployer  pays  the  same  for  seven  days  labor  as  for  six. 

The  body  will  suffer  if  the  brain  is  overtasked.  Some 
resort  to  a  change  of  employment.  If  this  is  of  a  light  and 
cheerful  kind  it  may  answer  the  purpose.  But  the  conse 
quences  of  over-taxation  are  so  deleterious  that  I  would 
warn  my  young  friends  against  it.  More  is  lost  than  gained 
in  the  long  run.  A  better  preservation  of  health,  and  con 
sequently  greater  power  to  labor,  are  gained  by  moderation. 
For  when  the  energies  of  mind,  or  body,  cease,  life  becomes 
dull  even  with  its  comforts  at  command. 


360  WORK  APARTMENTS. 


WORK   APARTMENTS    OF    MEN   AND   WOMEN. 

SOME  people  think  the  mixing  of  men  and  women  in 
business  operations  has  a  tendency  to  make  the  women 
coarse  in   manners.     We  think  it  tends  to   equalize  —  to 
diminish  the  refinement   of  women,  and    increase  that  of 
men. 

Their  indiscriminate  mingling  in  workshops  is  thought 
to  be  detrimental  to  morals,  as  well  as  manners.  That 
depends  altogether  on  the  character  of  the  work-people,  their 
supervisors  and  employers.  If  they  have  moral  principle 
and  self-respect,  there  will  not  be  much  danger ;  but  the 
misfortune  is,  that  many  are  without  that  decorum  and  sense 
of  propriety  that  arise  from  proper  training.  Some  wo 
men  and  girls  do  not  conduct  themselves  properly  in  their 
work-rooms,  and  on  the  street,  and  that  gives  rise  to  the  fre 
quent  want  of  respect  felt  for  them  by  the  mercantile  and 
professional  classes. 

Moral  and  honorable  employers,  and  foremen,  can  do 
much  by  establishing  regulations  that  will  enforce  a  becom 
ing  demeanor,  in  the  work-rooms  at  least.  They  can  do 
much  to  inspire  feelings  of  decency  and  self-respect,  by 
having  a  proper  arrangement  of  their  work-rooms,  and  the 
necessary  appurtenances. 

To  reach  work-rooms  in  the  great  metropolis,  New 
York  city,  where  women  were  employed,  we  have  climbed 
up  dark,  narrow,  dirty  staircases ;  some  with  the  planks 
loosened  and  broken  ;  some  without  planks  at  the  back ; 
some  of  cast  iron  ;  and  some  located  almost  over  the  hatch 
way,  so  that  the  individual  was  liable  to  break  her  neck,  or 
have  her  whole  person  exposed.  It  will  not  do  to  deny 
this,  for  we  can  point  out  the  places  our  own  eyes  have  seen, 


WORK  APARTMENTS.  361 

and  our  own  feet  trod  ;  places  where  women  must  go  daily 
to  labor  for  their  bread. 

In  many  of  the  workshops  that  we  visited,  the  females, 
owing  to  the  arrangement  of  the  rooms,  and  want  of  ne 
cessary  conveniences,  with  the  employing  of  workmen  in 
the  same  apartment,  or  having  a  foreman  instead  of  a-fore- 
woman  to  superintend,  necessarily  made  a  great  sacrifice  of 
their  health.  Most  of  them  remained  in  the  same  room 
from  the  time  they  came  in  the  morning  until  they  left  in 
the  evening.  None  can  estimate  the  amount  of  suffering, 
and  the  number  of  diseases  induced  by  such  thoughtlessness, 
cupidity,  and  cruelty.* 

A  pert  young  clerk  in  New  York  said  to  me,  that  a  nice 
and  sensible  girl  would  not  be  willing  to  work  in  a  room 
with  men.  Poor  fellow,  he  is  very  ignorant  not  to  know 
that  many  women  in  New  York  must  either  do  it,  die  of 
hunger,  or  sell  their  souls  for  bread. 

The  foreman  in  a  knitting-machine  factory  remarked,  if 
girls  are  too  free  with  men,  they  ought  not  to  be  permitted 
to  work  with  them  ;  and  if  men  are  too  fond  of  the  society 
of  women,  the  same  restriction  should  be  put  on  them.  He 
added,  if  a  girl  is  inclined  to  be  immoral,  she  will  be  so,  let 
her  be  shielded  from  temptation  as  much  as  she  will.  We 
are  not  so  strongly  predestiuarian.  The  foreman  told  me 
he  judges  of  girls,  that  apply  for  work,  by  their  conversa 
tion  and  appearance,  and  says  he  has  never  failed  to  judge 
correctly  but  once  in  four  years. 

Pride  deters  some  women  from  being  seen  wending  their 
way  to  and  from  workshops,  and  for  this  reason  they  prefer 
to  work  at  home,  while  others  do  so  because  of  the  greater 
privacy  and  protection  afforded. 

Of  the  metal  manufactories  in  England,  Home  says,  "  As 
to  illicit  sexual  intercourse,  it  seems  to  prevail  almost  uni 
versally,  and  from  a  very  early  period  of  life  ;  to  this  con 
clusion  witnesses  of  every  rank  give  testimony."  We  know 

*  I  would  call  the  attention  of  employers  to  an  excellent  book  en 
titled  '  Heads  and  Hands  in  the  World  of  Labor,"  by  W.  G.  Blaikie, 
D.  D.  For  sale  by  Houtledgc  &  Son,  New  York. 


362  WORK  APARTMENTS. 

from  statistics,  and  the  accounts  of  travelers,  that^a  much 
larger  proportion  of  work-people  are  corrupt  iu  England  than 
in  the  United  States.  We  doubt  not,  some  immorality,  but 
not  all,  may  be  traced  to  the  indiscriminate  blending  of  meu 
and  women  of  every  moral  cast,  in  the  labor  of  the  field, 
workshop,  and  manufactory.  Therefore,  so  far  as  practi* 
cable,  it  may  be  best  that  men  and  women,  v)here  such  a 
variety  is  employed,  and  as  society  now  exists-,  should  occupy 
separate  rooms,  while  engaged  iu  their  various  employ* 
ments.  Perhaps  if  women  would  qualify  themselves  for 
suitable  occupations  now  closed  to  them,  men  who  are  lib 
eral,  desire  their  advancement,  and  are  willing  to  secure 
their  services,  would  furnish  them  with  a  separate  apart 
ment  to  work  in. 

Barbara  Leigh  Smith  says,  u  If  women  were  in  active 
life,  mixing  much  with  men,  the  common  attraction  of  sex 
merely,  would  not  be  so  much  felt,  but  rather  the  attraction 
of  natures  especially  adapted  to  each  other." 

I  have  been  told  by  some  employers  that  their  men  do 
better  when  a  few  women  work  in  the  same  room.  Other 
employers  have  complained  that  their  workmen  do  not  ac4- 
complish  so  much,  because  they  will  talk  to  the  women, 
while  a  number  told  me  that  their  workmen  complained  of 
the  restraint  produced  by  the  presence  of  women. 

We  doubt  not  but  the  most  expedient  plan  would  be  to 
employ  forewomen  in  the  female  department,  and  to  have 
men  and  women  labor  in  separate  rooms,  when  their  work 
will  tidmit  of  such  an  arrangement. 


TEMPTATIONS.  3G3 


TEMPTATIONS, 

ACCORDING  to  Miphelet  two  fifths   of  the  crime  in 
France  is  committed  by  the  French  people  in  towns, 
the  entire  population  of  which  constitutes  only  one  fifth  part 
of  the  population  of  the  whole  country. 

Crime  is  increasing  to  a  fearful  extent  in  England,  Ire? 
land,  and  Scotland,  In  1830  it  had  increased  in  England 
within  the  thirty  years  previous  Jive  fold  ;  in  Ireland  five  and 
a  half,  and  in  Scotland,  twenty-nine  fold.  In  this  country, 
immorality  and  vice  have  increased  with  astonishing  rapidity, 
during  the  last  few  years. 

The  pauper  laws  of  England  do  much  to  encourage  an 
illicit  intercourse  of  the  sexes,  by  supporting  pauper  chilr 
dren,  and  allowing  the  mother  a  pension. 

In  a  work  by  Reynolds  called  "  The  Seamstress,"  I  read 
as  follows  of  a  workrgirl  in  England  ;  "  Sad  were  the  ex 
periences  which  her  contact  with  the  young  women  whp 
worked  for  the  same  establishment  brought  to  her  knowl 
edge  ;  sad  and  mournful  were  the  social  phases  which  she 
was  too  often  forced  to  contemplate  !  She  saw  that  the 
earnings  of  honest  labor  were  so  poor,  so  wretchedly  small, 
that  the  oppressed  needlewomen  were  goaded,  by  famine  and 
desperation,  to  have  recourse  to  the  earnings  of  shame, 
Many  —  O,  how  many  !  —of  these  unfortunate  beings  loathed 
and  abhorred  the  base  idea  of  walking  in  the  paths  of  error  ; 
but  their  choice  lay  between  starvation,  suicide,  and  infamy. 
They  dared  not  beg,  the  police  laws  hung  in  terror  over  them  ; 
they  shrank  from  the  thought  of  self-destruction  ;  and  yet 
they  could  not  starve.  What  were  they  to  do?  Reader, 
spurn  not  away  the  unfortunate  girl  who  accosts  you  in  the 
streets ;  but  pity  her  and  give  her  alms,  perhaps  she 


3  64  TEMPT  A  TIONS. 

belongs  to  the  class  of  needlewomen  that  would  be  virtuous, 
if  they  could,  but  who  are  made  the  victims  of  all  the 
tremendous  tyranny  of  capital,  monopoly,  and  competition. 
Yes ;  let  there  be  pity  and  compassion  for  those  who  err, 
not  from  any  impulsive  love  of  profligacy  and  vice,  but  in 
obedience  to  the  stern  necessity,  which  breaks  down  the 
strongest  defenses  that  women  may  set  up  around  their 
virtue." 

The  starving  child  of  toil,  who  preserves  her  chastity  amid 
the  temptations  to  which  she  is  exposed,  well  merits  the 
respect  of  those  who  possess  superior  advantages.  When 
we  hear  of  the  poverty,  misery,  and  degradation  of  thou 
sands  —  yes,  thousands  of  our  own  sex,  in  the  cities  —  we  feel 
that  none  who  are  good  need  be  idle  for  the  want  of  benev 
olent  and  reformatory  work. 

How  much  training  and  discipline,  both  of  mind  and 
heart,  girls  need  !  As  I  have  sometimes  been  overtaken  by 
the  shades  of  evening,  and  hurried  home,  I  have  seen  girls 
pass  out  from  their  work-rooms,  and  O,  how  my  heart  sunk  as 
I  thought,  evening  after  evening  it  is  so  with  them  !  To  how 
many  temptations  are  they  exposed  !  Perhaps  many  live  a 
long  distance  off,  and  no  fellow-worker  lives  in  the  same 
direction  —  so  such  must  go  entirely  alone.  Some,  that  are 
young  and  thoughtless,  linger  along,  glad  to  get  into  the 
comparatively  fresh  air,  and  gaze  in  shop  windows.  Rowdy 
boys  jostle,  and  look  them  in  the  face.  They  are  glad  to  be 
noticed,  and  soon  a  leer,  and  a  jest,  carry  them  on,  until 
they  are  lost  in  the  stream  of  vice.  Or  bad  men  may  be 
waiting  to  lure  them  to  ruin.  Many  are  the  snares  and  pit 
falls  that  beset  even  the  most  favored. 

It  is  a  sad  fact,  that  for  the  last  few  years,  those  that  fill 
the  ranks  of  prostitutes  in  New  York  are,  according  to 
published  reports,  very  young  girls,  and  not,  as  formerly, 
women  beyond  the  prime  of  life.  A  large  number  of  street 
walkers  in  that  city  are  said  to  be  educated  women,  who 
have  taught  music,  and  the  languages,  and  resorted  to  this 
practice  because  unable  to  obtain  employment  by  which  to 
keep  from  cold  and  starvation. 


TEMPT  A  TIQNS.  365 

Tait  says,  that  **  the  permanent  prostitution  of  any  city 
bears  a  recognized  numerical  relation  to  its  means  of  occupa 
tion.  You  ask  for  proof.  Out  of  two  thousand  cases  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  pleaded 
destitution  as  the  cause."  According  to  Mrs.  Dall's  statistics, 
seven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty  abandoned  women 
walk  the  streets  of  New  York,  which  is  doubtless  the  most 
corrupt  city  on  the  western  continent. 

My  feelings  have  occasionally  been  saddened  by  seeing 
ladies  of  cultivation  and  refinement,  intrenched,  by  their 
wealth,  friends,  and  position,  from  temptation  to  do  wrong, 
curl  the  lip,  when  the  fallen  of  their  sex  are  spoken  of, 
aud  with  a  sneer  say,  "  I  have  no  patience  with  such 
women."  Think  not,  selfish  Avoman,  that  you  are  free  from 
all  obligation  to  aid  and  rescue  such.  The  unhappy  outr- 
casts  may  not  be  punished  in  this  world  according  to  their 
sins.  You  certainly  are  not.  For  have  you  not  sorrows 
and  afflictions  of  some  kinds,  the  causes  of  which  you  cannot 
account  for.  The  most  sensitive  aud  refined  woman  shou!4 
not  shrink  from  inquiring,  How  can  J,  in  any  way,  stop 
this  evil?  Can  my  influence,  wealth,  position,  or  sympathy, 
devise  any  plan  to  check  this  terrible  vice?  The  true  wo 
man,  the  Christian  philanthropist,  will  not  shrinjs  from 
making  an  effort  to  reform  the  erring  wanderer.  When  the 
interests  of  an  immortal  soul  are  at  stake,  who  may  innocent 
ly  neglect  that  soul  ?  Many  women  sink  into  irremediable 
helplessness  after  they  have  committed  the  unpardonable  sin, 
Any  man  that  seduces  a  woman  should  certainly  be  required 
to  support  her  and  her  children.  u  The  Mohammedan  law, 
that  legitimate  and  illegitimate  children  should  share 
equally  in  the  division  of  their  fathers'  estates,  shames  the 
narrow  and  cruel  prejudice,  which  prevents  a  just  distribu 
tion  of  property  among  us."  . 

A  fertile  cause  of  prostitution  is,  that  men  have  taken 
from  women  those  occupations  which  rightly  belong  to  them. 
Were  better  occupations  opened  to  women,  and  women  of  a 
more  improved  class  in  them,  it  would  be  a  safeguard  to  the 
less  favored  class  of  workwomen.  Women  have  not  that 


3  C  6  TEMPT  A  TIOXS. 

encouragement  from  their  superiors  that  workmen  have. 
The  sins  of  women  are  more  the  result  of  circumstances 
over  which  they  have  no  control,  than  they  are  of  the 
natural  depravity  of  human  nature. 

The  principal  causes  of  the  loss  of  chastity  of  women  in 
the  cities  of  this  country  are  probably  the  following  :  — 

1st.  A  majority  of  females  being  raised  without  ac 
quiring  any  pursuit  by  which  to  earn  an  honest  livelihood. 
2d.  The  low  wages  paid  for  female  labor.  3d.  The  in 
ability  to  obtain  remunerative  employment.  4th.  Poverty 
from  sickness.  5th.  Loss  of  relations.  6th.  Slander,  or 
bad  treatment  from  those  that  should  protect  and  sustain. 
These,  no  doubt,  furnish  a  key  to  the  problem  in  most  places. 

"  When,  indeed,  we  are  told  that  the  various  kinds  of 
seamstresses  yield  the  largest  quota  to  the  rauks  of  pros 
titutes  in  Great  Britain,  it  needs  no  prophet's  eye  to  detect 
the  hand  of  Poverty  in  the  act  of  beckoning  them  on  to  sin. 
Poverty,  poverty,  we  repeat,  is  often  the  principal,  and 
pleasure  the  second,  in  these  cruel  woundings  of  girls*  souls. 
Whether  it  shall  be  theft,  or  dishonor,  to  the  exhausted 
frame,  and  the  weakened,  hunger-maddened  mind,  seem  the 
only  points  left,  for  choice,  and  may  depend  somewhat  upon 
the  natural  passion  or  appetites  of  the  various  women. 
Next  in  number  to  seamstresses  follow  the  race  of  inferior 
servants,  who  have  the  hardest  places  and  the  worst  pay. 
The  next  class  are  the  families  of  seafaring  men  in  the 
various  ports.  The  higher  classes  of  workwomen,  the 
young  girls  in  notable  milliners'  establishments,  also  swell 
the  stream  of  guilt.  Once  let  persons  be  forced  to  outride 
their  strength,  and  exceed  that  sentence  of  toil  which  is  upon 
Adam'ri  family,  and  we  must  expect,  either  early  decay  of 
bodily  powers,  or  demoralization,  or  both." 

"  Some  pretended  moralists,  and  politicians,  tell  us  openly 
that  one  fifth  part  of  our  sex  should  be  condemned  as  the 
legitimate  prey  of  the  other,  predoomed  to  die  in  reproba 
tion,  in  the  streets,  in  hospitals,  that  the  virtue  of  the  rest 
may  be  preserved,  and  both  the  pride  and  passion  of  men 
gratified."  The  men  that  teach  or  assert  such  a  thing  are 
doubtless  immoral,  yes,  guilty  of  this  heinous  wickedness. 


FEMALE   CONVICTS.  3C7 


REFORM   OF  FEMALE   CONVICTS. 

THE  treatment  of  female  criminals  in  France  is  deplora 
ble,  on  account  of  their  exposure,  and  the  wretched 
condition  of  the  branch  prisons,  in  which  most  are  confined. 
The  number  of  convicts  is  small  compared  with  that  of  male 
convicts  —  "  a  remarkable  fact,"  says  Madame  Mallet,  u  see 
ing  that  women  earn  much  less  than  men,  and  are,  therefore, 
more  tempted  by  poverty." 

She  continues,  "  The  true  and  frequent  cause,  which  drives 
these  women  to  vice,  and  even  crime,  is  the  ennui  and  sad 
ness  of  their  lives.  Virtue,  for  a  poor  girl,  means,  to  sit 
fourteen  hours  a  day  making  the  same  stitch  for  ten  sous  — 
her  head  down,  her  chest  bent,  her  bench  hot  and  tiresome. 
Add  to  this,  in  winter,  that  miserable  charcoal  pan,  (the 
cause  of  many  diseases,)  all  the  fuel  she  has  —  though  shiv 
ering  with  cold." 

And  when  we  read  her  examination  into  the  causes  of 
these  crimes,  we  find  that  as  crimes  the  number  is  greatly 
diminished.  Her  view  of  reform  for  prisoners  is  admirable. 
u  Her  remedy  is  to  tear  down  the  walls,  and  to  let  in  fresh  air 
and  sunshine  ;  for  light  moralizes.  Another  remedy  is  labor, 
under  very  different  conditions  —  severe,  but  somewhat 
varied,  and  enlivened  with  music.  (This  plan  has  been  suc 
cessful  in  Paris,  through  the  liberality  of  some  Protestant 
ladies.)  Imprisoned  women  are  crazy  for  music  ;  it  soothes 
them,  restores  their  moral  equilibrium,  and  calms  their  heart 
burnings.  Leon  Foucher  has  wisely  said  that  prisoners  from 
the  country,  men  and  women,  should  be  put  to  field  labor, 
not  immured  within  horrible  walls,  which  are  only  consump 
tion  factories.  Yes,  set  the  peasant  to  tilling  the  earth  again, 
in  Algeria,  at  least.  I  could  add  that  even  the  working 


308  FEMALE   CONVICTS. 

woman  can  be  very  profitably  colonized  under  a  semi-agricul 
tural  system,  where  several  hours  in  the  day  she  might  do  a 
little  gardening,  which  would  contribute  to  her  support." 
Madame  Mallet  remarks  that,  "  in  general,  passionate  wo 
men,  who,  excited  by  rage  and  jealousy,  have  committed  a 
criminal  act,  are  not  at  all  depraved,  flace  tb,em  where 
they  may  healthily  expend  their  energy,  and  they  would 
concentrate  it  in  love  and  a  family,  and  become  the  veriest 
lambs  of  gentleness.  And  those  martyrs  who  have  yielded 
to  wrong  from  filial  piety  or  maternal  love  —  who  will 
believe  them  irremediable?  Even  the  truly  guilty,  if  they 
are  sent  out  of  Europe  and  placed  under  a  new  sky}  in  a 
land  which  knows  nothing  of  their  faults — if  they  feel 
that  society,  though  a  mother  that  punishes,  is  still  a  mother 
—  if  they  see,  at  the  end  of  their  trial,  forgetfulness  pf  the 
past,  and  love  perhaps,  their  hearts  will  swell,  and  in  their 
abundant  tears  they  will  be  purified.  The  silence  imposed 
upon  them  in  the  central  prison  is  torture  to  the  woman  -^- 
many  become  insane  from  it." 

The  French  government  is  now  practically  carrying  the 
suggestion  made  above  into  operation  by  sending  female 
convicts  to  Cayenne,  and  marrying  them  there  to  male  con 
victs  who  behave  well.  The  plan  is  reported  as  working  a 
change  fpr  tlie  better,  in  froth  parties? 


PREVENTIVES   OF  EVIL.  3G9 


PREVENTIVES   OF   EVIL. 

SUFFICIENT  measures  are  not  taken  for  preventing 
suffering  and  crime.  How  few  virtuous  young  women 
are  aided  in  preparing  themselves  for  remunerative  labor, 
or  obtaining  such  labor  when  qualified,  while  efforts  are 
very  extensively  made  to  rescue  those  that  have  fallen. 
Must  a  woman  commit  the  unpardonable  sin  before  her  con 
dition  is  attended  to?  Is  sin  to  be  thus  encouraged?  a  pre 
mium  paid  to  vileness !  God  forbid  that  such  a  course 
should  long  continue. 

If  a  girl  has  a  talent  for  drawing  and  painting,  let  her 
learn  to  paint  portraits,  or  large,  handsome  landscapes,  in 
oil ;  if  no  taste  for  this,  let  her  become  a  good  translator  of 
languages,  or  if  talent  enough,  an  authoress,  or  if  partial  to 
music,  become  proficient  in  it,  or  if  possessing  a  mathemati 
cal  mind,  pursue  that  branch  extensively  ;  or  any  science 
to  which  fondness  or  nature  directs  ;  if  without  inclination 
or  taste  for  pursuits  of  this  kind,  let  her  acquire  some  indus 
trial  branch.  Every  facility  for  obtaining  a  knowledge  of 
various  branches  of  business  should  be  rendered  to  children. 
Parents  would  find  it  to  the  interest  and  advantage  of  their 
children  to  take  them  to  see  the  operation  of  printing,  tele 
graphing,  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics,  the  working 
of  metals,  &c.  Give  your  daughters  independence  of  char 
acter,  but  found  it  on  a  correct,  womanly  sense  of  propriety. 
Impress  upon  them  the  fact  that  in  the  possession  of  an 
education  and  a  practical  knowledge  of  some  employment, 
they  will  possess  a  treasure  that  may  be  highly  useful  in 
case  they  ever  become  dependent  on  their  own  resources. 
Teach  them  to  look  upon  the  acquisition  of  such  knowledge 
not  as  a  task,  but  a  privilege. 
24 


370  PREVENTIVES   OF  EVIL. 

Some  parents  object,  that  daughters  will  lose  much  of  the 
home-feeling  by  this  training  ;  such  parents  may  rest  assured 
that  the  love  pf  Jiome  is  SQ  strong  in  woman's  nature  that 
such  fears  will  not  be  realized.  They  will  not  love  their 
homes  the  less,  and  they  will  not  be  less  willing  to  accept  a 
home  of  their  own  ;  at  the  same  time  will  not  be  tempted 
by  a  sense  of  dependence  to  sacrifice  themselves.  No  5  home 
and  its  endearments  will  ever  be  uppermost  in  their  hearts 
and  minds.  They  can  better  appreciate  their  own  individual 
worth  as  wives.  They  can  better  understand  the  holy  and 
responsible  duties  connected  with  marriage,  its  privileges 
and  sanctities.  If  you  give  your  daughters  a  pursuit  you 
need  not  then  toil  to  secure  fortunes  for  them,  which  may 
prove  a  bait  to  idle  or  worthless  spendthrifts,  that  will  squan 
der  what  you  have  toiled  to  accumulate.  Nor  will  your 
daughters  be  so  likely  to  barter  their  affections  and  indepen 
dence  for  the  wealth  of  a  coarse-souled  man.  How  often 
do  we  see  young  ladies  olefer  their  marriage  until  their  affi 
anced  have  accumulated  wealth  by  their  own  exertions, 
while  they  live  idly  and  uselessly  during  the  time  !  To  such 
ladies  I  would  say,  you  had  better  marry,  and  assist  your 
husband  in  making  a  home.  You  will  be  more  contented 
in  doing  so,  and  feel  more  entitled  to  it  when  obtained. 
Such  marriages  are  usually  the  most  happy.  That  which 
we  earn  by  hard  labor  becomes  endeared  to  us. 

Some  say,  Why  give  a  girl  a  trade  or  profession,  when 
she  will  be  sure  to  give  it  up  after  marriage  ?  It  will  not  be 
lost.  The  knowledge,  and  discipline  of  mind  gained  will 
help  her  to  rear  her  children  as  she  should,  and  impart  tp 
them  useful  knowledge,  and  form  business  habits  in  them. 
Her  husband,  though  a  good  man,  may  fail  in  business,  or 
she  may  become  a  penniless  widow ;  her  acquaintance  with 
business  will  then  be  invaluable.  Parents,  when  they  look 
upon  their  daughters,  young,  gay,  and  happy,  think  not  of 
the  changes  in  feeling  and  disposition  that  may  take  place 
in  the  course  of  ten  or  fifteen  years,  if  they  have  nothing  to 
employ  their  time  and  talents.  If  your  daughters  do  not 
marry,  they  will  be  Discontented  if  idle  and  unemployed  ;  fcut 


PREVENTIVES   OF  EVIL.  371 

if  engaged  in  active  employment,  in  benevolent  works,  and 
doing  good  as  they  have  opportunity,  they  will  pass  through 
the  world  respected  and  beloved.  If  they  marry  they  will 
c(*ed  industrious  habits  even  more.  Rich  people  are  apt  to 
raise  their  children  in  idleness^  a  habit  that  can  never  be 
entirely  overcome. 

In  years  of  childhood  and  youth  cultivate  industrious 
habits  in  your  children,  impress  upon  both  boys  and  girls 
that  if  they  live  they  will  have  to  be  employed  ;  and  tell 
them  the  cold  philosophy  of  the  World,  u  He  that  helps  him 
self,  I  am  ready  to  help,  but  he  that  cannot  help  himself 
may  get  assistance  where  he  can."  It  is  inhuman,  cruel, 
to  raise  children  so"  tenderly,  so  effeminately,  that  when  the 
biting  winds  of  later  life  sweep  over  them,  they  are  chilled, 
frozen.  Parents  should  certainly  assist  their  children  in 
selecting  some  one  channel  for  the  exercise  of  their  thoughts, 
talents,  and  energies.  We  would  not  have  parents  put  their 
dull  or  lazy  children  to  pursuits  requiring  study,  for  exer 
cise  of  the  mind  requires  more  perseverance  and  industry 
than  'exercise  of  the  body.  Children  of  weak  bodies  and 
active  minds  are  better  fitted  for  professions,  those  with 
strong  physical  frames  are  best  suited  to  mechanical  and 
out-door  labors.  We  doubt  not  but  the  most  healthy  voca 
tions  are  those  in  which  there  is  a  happy  blending  of  men 
tal  and  physical  labor.  Sometimes  the  mind  is  stinted  in 
its  growth  by  too  constant  and  unchanging  exercise  of 
mental  faculties.  Encourage  children  inclined  to  sedentary 
habits  to  take  exercise  in  the  open  air ;  let  it  be  gradually 
entered  into  and  regularly  continued ;  then  may  your  chil 
dren  have  strength  to  contend  successfully  with  the  various 
giants  that  beset  the  journey  of  life. 

In  addition  to  giving  your  daughters  a  practical  business 
education,  we  would  advise  those  with  means  to  purchase 
a  house  and  ground  for  each  daughter,  that  may  serve  as  a 
home,  or  the  income  of  which  may  be  a  maintenance  in  case 
of  reverse  of  fortune  ;  or  invest  means  in  the  land  of  newly- 
settled  countries,  or  purchase  stock  in  mines  or  railroads, 


372  PREVENTIVES   OF  EVIL. 

or,  as  Miss  Parkes  suggests,  secure  them  a  living  by  life 
insurance. 

We  would  urge  upon  those  people  engaged  in  benevolent 
works  the  fact  that  girls  whose  parents  are  poor  or  trifling, 
as  much  want  something  to  look  forward  to,  as  a  pecuniary 
support,  as  boys  do.  If  some  branch  of  industry  is  opened 
to  their  energies,  and  they  are  properly  encouraged,  they  will 
be  likely  to  display  quite  as  much  patience,  industry,  and  per 
severance,  as  individuals  of  the  other  sex.  Give  them  some 
definite  employment.  Why  should  not  the  minds  and  hands 
of  girls  be  trained  just  as  well  as  those  of  boys?  Are  the 
thoughts  of  girls  less  susceptible  of  a  wrong  direction  if  left 
to  idleness  ?  Or  are  there  more  ways  in  which  they  can 
earn  an  honest  livelihood?  I  was  told  by  a  New  York  city 
missionary  that  many  of  the  abandoned  women  of  New 
York  are  highly  accomplished,  and  a  few  even  thoroughly 
educated.  I  asked  this  excellent  man  why  this  was  so.  He 
replied  that  it  was  mostly  owing  to  the  death  of  relations, 
the  loss  of  property,  unfitness  by  education  to  labor,  and 
failure  in  obtaining  such  employment  as  they  were  accus 
tomed  to  and  able  to  execute.  I  thought  of  the  words  of  a 
lady  writer,  "As  long  as  fathers  regard  the  sex  of  a  child 
as  a  reason  why  it  should  not  be  taught  to  gain  its  own 
bread,  so  long  must  woman  be  degraded." 


o 


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